TurkeyPolice_Dec2015
Turkey has been on a heightened state of alert, especially after multiple incidents of ISIS-linked suicide bomb explosions this year. Pictured: A member of Turkish police special forces secures the area during clashes with Kurdish militants in the city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, Dec. 24, 2015. Reuters/Sertac Kayar

Turkish police have arrested two suspected suicide bombers for plotting an attack on New Year’s Eve in Ankara, a Turkish official told Agence France-Presse Wednesday. The arrests were made in the capital and the official, asking not to be named, told AFP that the arrested men “are suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State and were planning an attack on the New Year in Ankara.”

Counterterrorism police arrested the two men after raiding a house in the Mamak district on the outskirts of the capital, NTV television reported, according to AFP. The two suspects are both Turkish nationals and police seized suicide vests from the house, the Associate Press reported, citing the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Anadolu said that the would-be attackers were planning to detonate their vests at two locations in central Ankara during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Security in Turkey has been stepped up since Oct. 10 when two suicide bombers detonated in a crowd of peace activists, killing 103 people. Since then, Turkish authorities have rounded up many individuals suspected of having links to the Islamic State group. Earlier this month, the CIA warned Turkey of possible ISIS attacks against U.S. interests in the country.

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