Turkish police detain al-Qaida suspect (Syrian)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 8/10/05 | Louis Meixler - AP

[NormsRevenge]

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish police detained a Syrian who is believed to have been a go-between for al-Qaida and a Turkish cell that carried out deadly 2003 bombings in Istanbul and said Wednesday they are pursuing other militants.

Turkish media said the Syrian was one of 10 people detained who were plotting to attack Israeli cruise ships docking at vacation resorts on the Mediterranean coast, but police later denied the reports.

Israel on Monday urged its citizens not to visit beach resorts on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey and five cruise liners carrying some 5,000 people were diverted from Turkey to Cyprus over the weekend due to terror threats.

Israeli officials said Turkish police were aggressively cracking down, but added the terror warning was still in force.

Emmanuel Nahshon, the Israeli deputy ambassador in Ankara, stressed the warning did not apply to the entire country. "It is not Turkey, it is just a particular area," Nahshon said.

Overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey is a top vacation spot for Israelis and more than 300,000 visit each year.

Police confirmed that the Syrian citizen who was detained was suspected of having facilitated communication between al-Qaida and Turkish extremists responsible for the 2003 bombings of two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British bank. The attacks killed some 60 people.

The suspect also is believed to have helped the bombing masterminds flee the country and to have remained in contact with al-Qaida operatives who are planning future attacks, Turkish police officials added.

The officials, however, could not confirm that those attacks included plots to attack Israeli tourists. Turkish civil servants are only allowed to speak on the record with prior authorization.

Police said the Syrian was detained in Antalya, a beach resort that is so popular with Israelis that there are direct flights from Tel Aviv.

CNN-Turk television later reported that he was detained in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the overwhelmingly Kurdish city later this week.

Suspects tried in Turkey for the 2003 bombings said they originally planned to attack an Israeli cruise ship in the Mediterranean, according to a court indictment.

Turkey's NTV television said that nine of the people arrested Wednesday were checking the timetables of cruise lines.

Turkey's police headquarters, however, later issued a statement saying that press reports that "members of the al-Qaida organization were caught with C-4 (plastic) explosives as they prepared to attack foreign ships in our southern provinces are totally false."

Police would not elaborate on the statement.

The issue of attacks at tourist resorts is extremely sensitive in Turkey, which is hoping to host some 22 million tourists this year. The industry is projected to bring in $19.5 billion in revenues, a 50 percent increase over last year.

[NormsRevenge]

And FRom AFP..

Turkey detains 10 over suspected Al-Qaeda plot on Israeli ships

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050810/wl_mideast_afp/turkeyisraelqaeda_050810122222



ISTANBUL (AFP) - Turkish police have detained 10 people suspected of links to the Al-Qaeda extremist network and of plotting attacks on Israeli cruise ships in southern Turkey, security sources said.

The suspects, one of them a Syrian, were detained several days ago in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, home to some of Turkey's most popular resorts, which attract millions of foreign tourists each year, said the sources, who requested anonymity.

They were believed to be planning to attack Israeli cruise ships on behalf of Al-Qaeda, they said.

Israel's counter-terrorism unit Monday warned Israeli holidaymakers to avoid a strip of Turkey's Mediterranean coast between the resorts of Alanya and Kemer, in Antalya province, citing credible intelligence of a potential attack.

On Friday, Israeli authorities ordered four Israeli cruise ships scheduled to dock in Alanya to change course to Cyprus for fear of a possible attack.

The sources said the Syrian suspect, identified only by his initials, N.S., has been taken to to Istanbul and for questioning by anti-terror police in connection with suicide bombings that killed 63 and wounded hundreds others in Istanbul on November 15 and 20, 2003, and blamed on a local Al-Qaeda cell.

The NTV news channel reported that the police had detained at least 10 people linked to Al-Qaeda, among them the Syrian who was allegedly collecting information on Israeli ships travelling to Turkey and on synagogues in the country.

The Syrian, who was carrying forged identity documents, was planning an attack on Israeli ships, the channel said.

[Modernman]

Turkish police detained a Syrian who is believed to have been a go-between for al-Qaida and a Turkish cell that carried out deadly 2003 bombings in Istanbul and said Wednesday they are pursuing other militants

I hope this guy likes electrodes applied to his genitals. The Turkish anti-terrorist police don't play nice.

[NormsRevenge]

Suspected al-Qaida militant Hamid Obysi, wearing a yellow t-shirt, is escorted by plainclothes Turkish policemen as he leaves from a courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005. Hamid Obysi, a 21-year old Syrian man, was detained in the Turkish mediterranean resort of Antalya after police found two fake passports in a house there and later he was arrested and charged with membership in al-Qaida. Turkish police have detained two Syrians on suspicion of links to al-Qaida. News of the detentions came after more than 5,000 Israelis on five cruise ships were diverted from Turkish ports to Cyprus in recent days amid intelligence that a terror attack was imminent. (AP Photo/Str)

[NormsRevenge]

AP update

Turkish Police Detain al-Qaida Suspects
By LOUIS MEIXLER, Associated Press Writer

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish police detained two Syrians on suspicion of links to al-Qaida, including one believed to be a go-between for the terrorist network and a Turkish cell that carried out deadly 2003 bombings in Istanbul.

News of the detentions came after more than 5,000 Israelis on five cruise ships were diverted from Turkish ports to Cyprus in recent days amid intelligence that a terror attack was imminent.

Turkish media reported Wednesday that the Syrian suspected of being an al-Qaida go-between was one of 10 people detained for allegedly plotting to attack Israeli cruise ships docking at vacation resorts on the Mediterranean coast, but police later denied the reports.

Israel on Monday urged its citizens not to visit beach resorts on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, with one official saying that although Turkey was cracking down on terror threats the travel warning would remain in force.

Emmanuel Nahshon, the Israeli deputy ambassador in Ankara, stressed the warning did not apply to the entire country. "It is not Turkey, it is just a particular area," Nahshon said.

Overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey is a top vacation spot for Israelis and more than 300,000 visit each year.

Police confirmed that one Syrian citizen who was detained was suspected of having facilitated communication between al-Qaida and Turkish extremists responsible for the 2003 bombings of two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British bank. The attacks killed some 60 people.

The suspect also was believed to have helped the bombing masterminds flee the country and to have remained in contact with al-Qaida operatives who are planning future attacks, Turkish police officials added.

The officials, however, could not confirm that those attacks included plots to attack Israeli tourists. Turkish civil servants are only allowed to speak on the record with prior authorization.

Police said the Syrian was detained in Antalya, a beach resort that is so popular with Israelis that there are direct flights from Tel Aviv.

CNN-Turk television later reported that he was detained in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the overwhelmingly Kurdish city later this week.

A second Syrian was arrested Wednesday and charged with membership in al-Qaida, the semiofficial Anatolia news agency reported. It said Hamid Obysi, 21, was detained in Antalya after police found two fake passports in a house there.

Suspects tried in Turkey for the 2003 bombings said they originally planned to attack an Israeli cruise ship in the Mediterranean, according to a court indictment.

Turkey's private NTV television said that nine of the people arrested Wednesday were checking the timetables of cruise lines.

Turkey's police headquarters, however, later issued a statement saying that press reports that "members of the al-Qaida organization were caught with C-4 (plastic) explosives as they prepared to attack foreign ships in our southern provinces are totally false."

Police would not elaborate on the statement.

The issue of attacks at tourist resorts is extremely sensitive in Turkey, which is hoping to host some 22 million tourists this year. The industry is projected to bring in $19.5 billion in revenues, a 50 percent increase over last year.

[McGavin999]

Their economy has improved 100% since the Iraq invasion. I do believe they control the headwaters for all the fresh water in Syria. Syria really doesn't want to get the Turks mad at them.