With less than 48 hours left in 2015, Turkey on Wednesday became the latest country to announce the foiling of a holiday attack plot, detaining two suspected Islamic State militants believed to be planning suicide bombings during New Year celebrations in the capital city's heart.
The state-run Anadolu Agency, quoting unnamed police and judiciary officials, said the would-be bombers had intended to blow themselves during holiday festivities at bars and a shopping mall in the central Kizilay district.
In Belgium, an investigation was continuing into what authorities characterized as a "serious threat" of holiday season attacks directed at police, soldiers and popular attractions in the capital city of Brussels.