Posted on 08/10/2005 1:26:35 PM PDT by QQQQQ
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.
I think cruise ships are indeed very vulnerable, but I am glad we are catching the terrorists, before they can do any harm.
I also bet the Turkish interrogators aren't interrogating them by reading Harry Potter to them.
Nice to see the Turks working on the right things.
one of them a Syrian,... the Syrian... the Syrian....the Syrian.
I would like to know when we are going to stop allowing the Syrian stinking government from supporting terror, Mr. Bush.
They are killing our troops, providing Sanctuary for terrorist who know are even attacking the ReligionofPeace folks of Turkey. Still my President does nothing.
Does Syria have some WMDs that we are afraid of?
Traditional WMDs: poison gas, almost certainly, bioweapons and nukes unlikely. Will to use the gas against us, is likely lacking. However, they have and are eager to use a different sort of WMDs. Weapons of Mass Distraction. E.g. NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, NY Times, European and Arab media. Alas their collective barking and nibbles have left Bush with quibbles. He needs public opinion firmly behind him to take overt action against Syria and he doesn't presently have it.
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Never is a long time. If current Syrian policy continues there is eventually going to be a p*ssed off democratically elected new Iraqi government, with a new US trained army, complaining to the UN about acts of war by Syria. It is Iraqis who are mainly being killed by this. That should help our public opinion even when the MSM tries to write them off as US puppets. Still the best solution for Syria (and Iran) would be for their current leaders to implode, either like the former USSR, or at least like Libya. One hopes that we're busy behind the scenes encouraging that, but thanks to the MSM and the liberal lying Democrats we have to be very careful about how we do that.
Thank you..
Bump
BTTT
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