ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish authorities have detained 54 suspected Islamic State members in Istanbul who were believed to be preparing to travel to conflict zones in Syria, police said on Tuesday.

All of those detained were foreign nationals, it said, without giving details on when the detentions took place.

Islamic State has carried out numerous bombings across Turkey in recent years, including an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul in which 39 people were killed and a bombing in the city’s historic heart that killed 12.

Turkish operations against Islamic State suspects intensified at the end of last year on the anniversary of the nightclub shooting.