Turkey in September 2026: the most important developments in security
In Turkey in September 2026 the most covered security event was a shooting outside a school on 22 September, in which a student opened fire and at least 11 people were wounded.
Police carried out several operations. Dozens of people were detained on 13 September in sweeping raids targeting LGBTQ+ groups, and on 15 September at least 150 people were detained at a protest over those arrests. On 11 September police detained 20 people in raids in six provinces over alleged infiltration by the FETO movement. On 19 September Turkey detained nine Israelis in an investment fraud investigation. Authorities arrested the head of the country's refereeing body and six others in a fraud inquiry, and on 29 September seized an Iranian passenger plane at Istanbul over a debt of about 3 million euros, with passengers on board. A tanker captain was arrested after a cargo ship sank off Istanbul on 2 September.
Abroad, Turkey said it could help meet Saudi military needs under the defence pact among Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, and signalled military support for Saudi Arabia against the Houthis; analysts described the Houthi attack as a test of the pact. Turkey's foreign minister said the militarisation of Greek islands is a threat. A report said Turkey's new base in the Horn of Africa could target the Strait of Hormuz with missiles, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ankara needs Moscow's approval regarding the S-400 air defence systems.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.