Former intelligence official warns of jihadist sleeping cells in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - A former Turkish intelligence top official has warned that jihadists are "highly likely" to activate their sleeper cells in Turkey in the face of the recent developments in the region, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

"There are sleeper cells [of the jihadists in Turkey]. Particularly following the latest developments in Syria and Iraq, these elements engaged in regional conflicts are highly likely to be used in Turkey, too. Security forces and politicians should consider the issue carefully," Cevat Öneş was quoted as saying.

Öneş is a former deputy undersecretary of Turkey's National Intelligence Agency (MİT).

Turkish authorities have been on alert since a female suicide bomber detonated herself at an Istanbul police station in the touristic area of Sultanahmet, killing a policeman on Jan 6, a week after a far-left group attacked another police station.

Turkey have recently launched a probe on a possible link of the Sultanahmet suicide bombing, which was carried out by a Russian citizen of Daghestani origin , with jihadist groups, including the Islamic State.

Öneş described the militant attacks in Istanbul and Paris, which left 20 dead, as "very complex, important developments." He claimed there is a "high probability" that the Sultanahmet attack was linked to the Islamic State, al Qaeda or its branches.

"Turkey is a country on the transit route of jihadist militants. This is why there is a risk," Öneş said, adding that security forces should also take "uncompromising precautions" against Turkish and foreign jihadists.