Istanbul airports, bus depots stem terror suspect tide

ISTANBUL 

From June 2014 to 2017, risk analysis centers based at Istanbul's bus stations and its two airports screened nearly 45,000 foreign suspects and deported over 2,500, a security source said Wednesday.

The analysis center project was spearheaded by Istanbul police chief Mustafa Caliskan and continues to operate successfully, the source, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency.

In interview rooms, security officials do psychological testing to determine whether suspects should be sent back to their countries of origin. For those denied entry or deported, a confidential file is sent to the authorities in their home country giving the reasons for their return.

At the centers, a number of standard review criteria are applied to suspects, such as facial expressions, attitudes, behaviors, and clothing.

A total of 2,566 suspects deported through risk center assessments include 1,577 from countries in Asia, 887 Europeans, 79 Africans, 19 from the Americas, and four from Australia.

Turkey, which gets nearly 40 million visitors every year, has been doing all it can to halt the flow of potential terrorists and terror suspects through its borders.

The risk analysis centers were established to catch suspected foreign terrorist fighters who try to enter Turkey especially to proceed to Iraq or Syria.

According to Turkish officials, it is easier to stop foreign terror suspects before they leave their country of origin than apprehending them in Turkey.

They also criticize a lack of intelligence-sharing by Western governments for aiding the tide of militants across Turkey’s borders.

Reporting by Arif Yakıcı:Writing by Seyit Ahmet Aytac