| I'm guessing this is associated with this as well. |
Turkish police have detained a lawyer who admitted he was the leader of Al Qaeda in Turkey, Anatolian News Agency reported on Saturday. Nine other suspects were also held. Police seized bomb-making material and a compact disc set to explode when inserted into a computer - the first time Turkish police had got hold of such a device - the state-run agency said. They also found maps of an oil refinery owned by the Tupras group in the house, the agency said. Police could not confirm the report. CNN Turk said the leader was a 25-year-old lawyer and two of the suspects were also members of the Great Islamic Eastern Warriors Front (IBDA-C), Anatolian said. That group claimed joint responsibility with Al Qaeda for two bombings at Istanbul synagogues and attacks on a British consulate and the HSBC bank in November 2003, in which more than 60 people were killed.
IBDA-C, on the European UnionÂ’s terrorist list, is made up of Sunni Muslims seeking to create an Islamic state in Turkey. The police swoop in Istanbul, Ankara and the western province of Izmir came after a year-long investigation and was carried out at the end of November, when Pope Benedict was visiting Turkey, private television NTV reported.
A little bit more, from Zaman
Turkish police have arrested a lawyer who claims he is the leader of Al Qaeda in Turkey. Nine other suspects were also detained in the simultaneous operation conducted in Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara. Police also seized a compact disc with an explosive device set to explode at the moment of use. It is the first time such a device is found in Turkey
The operations in Istanbul, Ankara and the western city of Izmir came after a year-long investigation and follows the detention at the end of November of 18 people suspected of having links to Al Qaeda. Turkey has suffered several attacks blamed on al Qaeda. In November 2003, more than 60 people were killed in bombings of two synagogues, the British Consulate and the HSBC bank's office in Istanbul.