The terror group Islamic State is reportedly in "advanced stages" of carrying out plans to murder Jewish children in Turkey, with Jewish kindergartens, schools and youth centers on the group's target list.
Information about what was described by officials as an "imminent" attack was obtained from six Islamic State operatives who were arrested in southern Turkish city of Gaziantep over the course of the past week.
The report cited a synagogue in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, which also has a community center and a school attached to it, as the mostly likely target of an Islamic State attack.
"In light of these circumstances, extraordinary security measures are being taken above and beyond the high alert level already in place by the Turkish police, as well as vigilance within the Jewish community," the UK news channel 'Sky News' quoted a Turkish intelligence source as saying. "Undercover and other covert counterterror measures are being implemented around the clock. This is a more than credible threat. This is an active plot."
The intelligence source went on to say of the potential attack: "We don't know when it's scheduled for. It could be in the next 24 hours or next few days. In light of these circumstances, extraordinary security measures are being taken above and beyond the high alert level already in place by the Turkish police, as well as vigilance within the Jewish community.”
Istanbul's Neve Shalom Synagogue was previously hit by terror attacks in 1986 and 2003.
Also on Monday, Israel called on its citizens living in or visiting Turkey to leave the country immediately, also warning of an Islamic State threat. Ten days ago, three Israeli tourists on a tour of Istanbul were among five killed in a suicide bombing.
