The trial of 69 suspected members of a Turkish al-Qaida cell accused in a string of November suicide bombings in Istanbul was postponed Monday after the court ruled that it did not have the authority to hear the case. In May, parliament abolished state security courts like the one hearing this trial, but that order does not come into force for about another month. The reform was approved as part of Turkey's bid to join the European Union.
| Kowtowing to the EU worked well. |
The case opened Monday and the court said that due to the changes it no longer had the authority to hear the case. Turkish authorities are expected to set up new tribunals in the coming months that will deal with this and other cases. All 69 defendants, however, must still appear before the court this week on procedural grounds, but no testimony will be heard. In their 128-page indictment, prosecutors were demanded life sentences for five suspects who they said played direct roles in the bombings. The other 64 suspects could face prison sentences ranging from 4 1/2 to 22 1/2 years. Several alleged top ringleaders, however, remain at large. According to the indictment, Habib Akdas, the suspected leader of the cell, and two alleged cell members, Baki Yigit and Adnan Ersoz, met on several occasions with Abu Hafs al-Masri, a former top lieutenant of bin Laden. Al-Masri is believed to have arranged for Akdas and Yigit to meet with bin Laden in 2001 in Afghanistan. Al-Masri and bin Laden suggested attacks against Incirlik Air Base, a southern Turkish air base used by the U.S. military, as well as against Israeli ships in the southern port of Mersin, the indictment said. Intelligence officials have said the militants ended up changing their targets because of high security at the sites. The suspected militants asked for $150,000 for the attacks from al-Masri and the money was paid to the cell last year by affiliates in Europe and Iran, prosecutors said. |