Turkey has arrested 8 suspected Islamic State (Isis) militants at Islanbul's Ataturk Airport after investigations revealed that the suspects were planning to enter Germany posing as refugees.
According to state-run Anadolu Agency, the eight men claimed that they had come on a visit to Istanbul from Casablanca (Morocco) as "tourists." The police, however, were suspicious of the group and asked them where they were staying.
The police later found that the eight men were lying about their accommodation and, in fact, had made no reservations in any hotels.
From the Isis suspects, the police found a map and detailed handwritten note on how to reach Germany.
The group reportedly was planning to travel through Turkey's Aegean Izmir district to Germany, via Greece, Serbia and Hungary. Their plan was to enter Germany posing as refugees, the police said.
The Islamic State terrorist group has a high number of fighters from Morocco and, since the Paris attacks, travel advisories from various countries have put Morocco to be a high-risk place.
Just two days back, the authorities in the country announced that they had arrested four Isis members in Beni Mellal, about 182 km south-east of Casablanca who "were at advanced stages of preparation of terrorist attacks in Morocco."
