Before Paris Attacks, Iraq Authorities Warned Of Imminent ISIS Threat, Turkey Foiled Istanbul Terrorist Plot

Iraqi intelligence agents warned of an imminent attack by the Islamic State group just one day before the assaults on Paris that killed 129 people. Agents last week sent a dispatch to a U.S.-led coalition of countries, the Associated Press reported, and officials said they specifically warned France of the heightened terrorist threats.

In the dispatch, Iraqi intelligence said the Islamic State group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ordered an attack on coalition countries fighting the group in Iraq and Syria. The coalition involves more than 60 nations, including members of the European Union and Arab League.

The Iraqi dispatch additionally warned of upcoming attacks on Iran and Russia "through bombings or assassinations or hostage taking in the coming days," the AP reported Sunday. Six senior Iraqi intelligence officials corroborated the information in the document to the AP.

Turkey was also reportedly a target of planned attacks by the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.

Turkish authorities said they foiled a plot to stage an attack in Istanbul on the same day as the deadly shootings and bombings in Paris, a senior official told Agence France-Presse Sunday.

Police on Friday detained five people in Istanbul, including a high-profile British fighter thought to be Aine Lesley Davis, an associate of the ISIS militant known as "Jihadi John." Washington officials said they believe Jihadi John was likely killed in a recent drone strike on Syria.

Turkey in August agreed to join the U.S.-backed coalition's airstrikes on ISIS in Iraq and Syria. U.S. officials have urged Turkish leaders in recent months to play a larger role in the fight, given Turkey's shared borders with the conflict zones.

"Initial investigation shows we foiled a major attack," a Turkish official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We believe they were planning an attack on Istanbul on the same day as the Paris attacks."