ISTANBUL, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police detained 12 suspects over their alleged involvement in the Friday attack on the Iraqi Consulate General in Istanbul, local media reported on Monday.
According to the Ihlas news agency, the police have launched widespread operations since Sunday, raiding several locations in Istanbul and the western Izmir province.
Among those detained were individuals suspected of planning and inciting the March 21 attack on the consulate building in the Sisli district on the European side of the city.
On the day of the attack, two assailants on a motorcycle fired multiple rounds at the building with a long-barreled firearm and then fled the scene.
During the search operations, police seized the long-barreled gun and the stolen motorcycle at the addresses of the suspects.
The motive of the attack remains unclear. ■
