Political analysts in Turkey believe the group claiming responsibility for this morningâs car bomb attacks outside two synagogues in Istanbul was unlikely to have been involved. The Great Eastern Islamic Raiders Front (IBDA-C) has claimed responsibility for the explosions that have reportedly left at least 20 dead and over 200 injured. âIBDA-C doesnât have the means to do something like this,â says Professor Nilufer Narli, from Istanbulâs Kadir Has University. âIts top leaders are all in jail and in the last few years it has lost most of their influence.â
| On the other hand, I'll bet they've still got some cannon fodder and prob'ly a few controllers and runners around to take on odd jobs... |
The groupâs leader, Salih Izzet Erdis, also known as Salih Mirzabeyoglu, was arrested by Turkish police in 1998 and is now in prison — along with many of the groups older cadre. âNow, it is nowhere near capable of organising something this sophisticated,â adds Narli, who is an expert on Turkeyâs illegal Islamic groups. âThis was a very professional attack.â
| They say they dunnit, so the Turks should wipe them out root and branch, even if they had outside help to pull it off... |
The IBDA-C traces its ancestry back to the Akincis — Turkeyâs large, radical Islamist youth movement of the 1970s. The movement split after the military coup in 1980, with most members later choosing the peaceful, parliamentary road now championed by Turkeyâs ruling party, the relatively liberal pro-Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP).However, a smaller number of former Akincis went on to form a handful of armed groups â such as the IBDA-C. Yet, âThe success of parliamentary Islamism in Turkey has led to groups such as the IBDA-C losing almost all their support,â adds Narli. |