Turkiye bolsters security nationwide for New Year celebrations
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Turkish authorities elevated security measures across the country to their highest level, deploying tens of thousands of police and security personnel ahead of New Year celebrations.
Major cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Samsun, and Bodrum saw intensified security presence, particularly in public and tourist areas. "A significant number of streets and squares have been closed to vehicle traffic as authorities anticipate heavy crowds tonight," according to RT.
In recent days, Turkish security forces detained hundreds of individuals suspected of links to the Islamic State (ISIS) in nationwide operations.
These measures come as Turkiye reflects on previous New Year’s attacks, notably the January 1, 2017, ISIS-claimed massacre at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul that killed 40 people, many of them foreign tourists, and wounded 80.
More recently, the country faced renewed security challenges. In October 2023, a deadly bombing near Ankara’s police headquarters killed two attackers and injured two officers, attributed to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group classified as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the EU, and the US.
On October 23, 2024, an assault targeted the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) headquarters in Ankara, leaving seven dead, including the attackers and a taxi driver. Twenty-two others were injured, several critically. Surveillance footage showed the perpetrators arriving in a taxi before launching gunfire and explosives at the facility.
