ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish authorities detained 209 people in anti-terror operations this week, prosecutors said. This came a day after Ankara placed restrictions on public gatherings ahead of next month's NATO summit.

Opposition groups said the raids were part of what they described as a wider crackdown on democracy and civil freedoms in Turkey.

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said arrest warrants had been issued for 241 suspects as part of investigations into several militant groups, including Islamic State and far-left organizations such as DHKP-C, MLKP, and TKP/ML.

It said 209 suspects had been detained so far, and efforts were continuing to find the remaining people.

The prosecutor's office and the Justice Ministry were not immediately available for comment.

The operations took place a day after the Ankara Governor's Office announced a 13-day ban on protests, press briefings, and other public gatherings from June 28 to July 10. The ban was introduced due to security concerns related to the NATO summit scheduled for July 7–8.

Prosecutors said in a statement that the operation was part of efforts to uncover the activities of militant groups, but they did not mention the NATO summit.

Those detained included journalist and LGBTQ+ rights activist Yildiz Tar, some left-wing politicians, and several lawyers, according to statements from rights groups. The Progressive Lawyers Association said three of its members were among those detained.

Authorities have not given details about the accusations against each suspect. Rights groups said the detainees were not allowed to meet their lawyers for 24 hours.

The pro-Kurdish DEM Party criticized the operation, saying that more than 200 politicians, activists, and members of democratic organizations were detained in early-morning house raids.

The party said the NATO summit preparations were being used as an excuse to limit democratic politics and basic freedoms, and it called for the immediate release of those detained.

LGBTQ+ rights group Kaos GL also connected the detentions to the restrictions imposed before the summit. Tar, its editor-in-chief, appeared in court on June 23 in a separate case.