ISIS members who killed police were acquitted months prior

By Ahmet Taş | Wise News Press

YALOVA, TURKEY —  Five out of six ISIS members involved in a deadly shootout that killed three Turkish police officers in Yalova last December had been acquitted of terrorism charges just two months prior.

According to a report by Demirören News Agency (DHA), the suspects were originally detained in 2024 for "membership in an armed terrorist organization." Despite an indictment detailing assassination plots and military training, the Yalova 2nd High Criminal Court acquitted the men in October 2025. This legal exoneration occurred only 60 days before the group engaged in a multi-hour gunfight with security forces that left three officers dead and nine others wounded.

Judicial acquittal despite prosecutor's objection

The court’s decision to acquit 15 suspects, including brothers Lütfi S., Haşem S., Mehmet Cami S., and Musa S., was met with a formal objection by Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor Duygu Bayar Öksüz. However, the court rejected the appeal, allowing the individuals to return to their "sleeper cell" activities in the İsmet Paşa neighborhood.

Digital evidence recovered after the December 29 shootout revealed that the group had used their period of freedom to finalize an assassination plot against the local AKP Provincial Chairman. Investigators found detailed sketches, surveillance notes on security cameras, and attempts to procure silencers for the planned attack.

Disturbing internal execution plots

The 138-page indictment provides a chilling look at the group's radicalization, which extended even to their own family. The four brothers killed in the shootout had reportedly declared their father and three other siblings as "apostates" and "infidels."

The suspects planned to execute their father and forcibly "abduct" their mother to marry her off to another organization member. During the investigation, the father, M.S., testified that his sons had threatened to "behead" the family once they seized enough power, leading to constant domestic conflict.

A nationwide network under a legal front

The ISIS cell operated under the guise of an association named "Morality and Sunnah" (Ahlak ve Sünnet), which authorities say was a front for establishing jihadist groups and opening prayer halls for radicalization. These "religious education" sessions reportedly focused on military training, individual armament, and combat preparation.

The indictment further reveals the scale of the threat, identifying 97 similar associations, bookstores, and prayer halls linked to this network across 24 provinces in Turkey. Following the Yalova shootout, nationwide operations led to the detention of 198 individuals, 66 of whom have since been formally arrested.

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