ISTANBUL — Turkish police have detained 14 people in raids targeting the al-Qaida militant group across western Turkey after the discovery of explosives and weapons, the Interior Ministry said.

Police ceased 700 kg (1,500 lb) of ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient in improvised explosives, in a raid on a house in the province of Ankara, Milliyet newspaper said on Wednesday.

The detainees, linked to a group active in Afghanistan, were detained on Tuesday on suspicion of planning attacks on US installations in Turkey to avenge the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan on May 2, the paper said.