Turkish security forces have confiscated two kilograms of the nerve agent sarin after raiding the homes of militants from the terrorist al-Nusra Front fighting against Syria, Turkeyâ„¢s media report.
Several Turkish newspapers reported on Thursday that two kilograms of sarin gas as well as heavy weapons were discovered during raids on the homes of 12 members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in Turkeyâ„¢s southern city of Adana, located some 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the border with Syria.
The terrorists, who were allegedly planning a large attack in the city, were formally detained on the order of Adanaâ„¢s top court, Turkish media reported without clarifying their charges.
Turkish authorities have not confirmed the media reports yet.
Adanaâ„¢s governor Huseyin Avni Cos has denied the confiscation of sarin.
The incident took place weeks after two car bomb attacks killed 52 people and injured over a hundred others in the border town of Reyhanli in Turkeyâ„¢s southern province of Hatay on May 11. Turkish protesters blamed Ankara for the attacks due to its support for the armed groups inside Syria.
On May 5, the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria also said it found testimony from victims and medical staff that showed foreign-backed militants had used the nerve agent in Syria. Sarin has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction in UN Resolution 687.
On March 19, over two dozen people were killed and many others injured when militants fired missiles containing a chemical substance into a village near the northwestern city of Aleppo, according to a report by Syriaâ„¢s official news agency SANA.
The Syrian government says Ankara has been playing a key role in fueling the unrest in Syria by financing, training, and arming the militants since the turmoil erupted in March 2011.
MKA/HSN
This article originally appeared on: Press TV