[yonif]

24 people killed in two large blasts near Istanbul synagogues

By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies



Suicide car bombers attacked two synagogues in
Istanbul at almost the same time Saturday, killing
at least 24 people, officials said. A militant
Turkish Islamic group claimed responsibility for
the blasts.




One explosion went off outside
the Neve Shalom synagogue,
the city's largest. The other
severely damaged the Beth
Israel synagogue in the
affluent district of Sisli, 5
kilometers (3 miles) away,
where members of the city's
tiny Jewish community live.


Twisted metals, shattered windows and debris
from partly collapsed synagogues and nearby
buildings filled the streets. The scent of
smoke and burned bodies filled the air.

Television footage showed medical teams carrying
away several people, some with bloodied or
charred faces. Private NTV television showed
the twisted wreckage of a car and a huge crater
in front of the Neve Shalom synagogue.

NTV television said a red car was seen parked
just before the explosion in front of Neve
Shalom. Police suspected that the car may have
been laden with explosives, NTV said.

Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said 23 people
were killed, while the
semiofficial Anatolia news agency said more than
80 were wounded.

"It was like a war zone," said Sadettin Gul, an
eyewitness.

In the first official Israeli response to the
attacks, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said
that anti-Israel trends in Europe could not be
disconnected from the way Israel is being
portrayed on the continent as a Jewish state.
Shalom said this phenomenon encouraged verbal
terror which leads to physical terror, as seen
in Istanbul.

Shalom added that no nation was immune to
terror, and that all nations must unite and
fight it.

In a telephone call to the Anatolia news agency,
a caller claiming to be from the Great Eastern
Islamic Raiders' Front said the militant group
was
responsible for the attacks, and promised more.
The caller said "the attacks would continue in
the future and the reason was that to prevent
the oppression against Muslims," Anatolia
said.

Police have accused the group, also known as
IBDA-C, for a bombing attack
which injured 10 people in downtown Istanbul on
Dec. 31, 2000. However, no one has claimed
responsibility for that attack.

The Neve Shalom synagogue was the sight of an
attack by gunmen in 1986. The gunmen, believed
to be Palestinians, killed 22 worshippers and
wounded six during a Sabbath service.

In 1992, the Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim group
Hezbollah carried out a bomb attack against the
same synagogue but no one was injured.

Jewish sites have been targeted in recent
attacks blamed on militants linked to Osama bin
Laden's Al-Qaida, notably in Casablanca,
Morocco in May and a Tunisian synagogue bombed
in April 2002, that killed five tourists.

[yonif]

Nov. 15, 2003
Suicide bombers attack Istanbul synagogues; 23 killed
By JPOST.COM STAFF
ISTANBUL, Turkey


Nevei Shalom Synagogue, Istanbul
Photo: business-with-turkey.com

Advertisement
Two synagogues were bombed in downtown Istanbul Saturday, killing 23 people and wounding at least 100.

Two cars driven by suicide bombers exploded simultaneously at about 9:30am at the Nevei Shalom Synagogue, the city's largest, and Beth Israel Synagogue in the affluent district of Sisli about three miles away.

Most of the fatalities appear to be from the Nevei Shalom attack.

Twisted metals, shattered windows and debris from partly collapsed synagogues and nearby buildings filled the streets. The scent of smoke and burned bodies filled the air.

Television footage showed medical teams carrying away several people, some with bloodied or charred faces. Private NTV television showed the twisted wreckage of a car and a huge crater in front of the Neve Shalom.

NTV television said a red car was seen parked just before the explosion in front of the Neve Shalom. Police suspected that the car may have been laden with explosives, NTV said.

Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said 23 people were killed, while the semiofficial Anatolia news agency said more than 80 were wounded.

"It was like a war zone," said Sadettin Gul, an eyewitness.

In a telephone call to the Anatolia news agency, a person claiming to be from the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front said the militant group was responsible for the attacks, and promised more.

The caller said "the attacks would continue in the future and the reason was that to prevent the oppression against Muslims," Anatolia said.

Police have accused the group, also known as IBDA-C, for a bombing attack which injured 10 people in downtown Istanbul on Dec. 31, 2000. However, no one has claimed responsibility for that attack.

An Israeli visitor at the scene, Jackie Angel, told Army Radio that the explosion at Sisli appeared to have affected the 2nd floor more than the first, and as a result many of the injured are women. Television footage showed a 1.5m crater near the synagogue.

In 1986, Nevei Shalom was the site of an attack by gunmen. The gunmen, believed to be Palestinians, killed 22 worshippers and wounded six during a Sabbath service.

Israel has offered Turkey any assistance that might be required, and set up a hotline at (02) 530-3155.

With The Associated Press

[Valin]

Thanks for this.
These ^*$#%&&! better hope that the Turkish police don't catch them, as the Turkish view of "right" would give an aclu lawyer a danm near terminal case of the vapors.