Turkish police detained 33 people suspected of ties to the Islamic State group who were allegedly preparing attacks ahead of the country’s local elections later this month, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Sunday.

The suspects were “preparing and searching for action before the upcoming local elections,” he posted on X. Nationwide elections are due to be held on March 31. Counter-terrorism police in Sakarya in northwest Turkey recovered weapons, cash and “organisational documents” during raids. “We will not tolerate any terrorists. We will continue our fight uninterruptedly with the superior efforts of our security forces,” Yerlikaya said.