ISTANBUL - Turkey's Interior Minister Besir Atalay said that Monday's operation in Istanbul was a previously-planned one.
"Police are staging a wide-scale operation, and they raided almost 60 different places, including the house where a clash erupted," Atalay told reporters at the Istanbul Police Department.
Atalay said that police were watching several spots for terrorists could stage sensational attacks, and started the operation early on Monday.
The minister said police detained almost 40 people, and seized explosives, arms and ammunition in the operation.
"Orhan Yilmazkaya, a top member of a terrorist organization, was killed in the operation on a house in Bostanci neighborhood," Atalay said.
Atalay said that the terrorist was involved in bomb attacks on the First Army Command and the main branch of the ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party in Istanbul.
A police officer and a civilian were killed, while six police officers and a civilian were injured in the operation.