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| Suspected Al-Qaida Militants Indicted for Istanbul Bombings |
| 2004-02-25 |
| Turkish prosecutors indicted 69 alleged al-Qaida militants suspected in last year’s Istanbul suicide bombings, and warned Wednesday that Osama bin Laden’s terror network regards this Muslim country as a legitimate target. Two of the suspects met with bin Laden in Afghanistan, NTV television reported, citing the 128-page indictment. Istanbul prosecutors demanded life imprisonment for five of the suspects, and sentences from 4 1/2 to 22 1/2 years for the remaining 64, the Anatolia news agency reported. All the suspects are Turks accused of belonging to a local cell of al-Qaida. A prosecutor briefed reporters from some Turkish media organizations on the indictment, which was expected to be released in the coming days. NTV, quoting from the indictment, said al-Qaida considered this predominantly Muslim but secular country to be a legitimate site for terror attacks because it is not sufficiently Islamic. Radical Muslim groups in Turkey often criticize the government’s ties with Israel and the United States, accusing it of collaborating with "infidels." And we can’t have that The November attacks, by four suicide bombers in explosives-laden trucks, killed 63 people and wounded about 700 others. The bombers struck two synagogues and, days later, a London-based bank and the British Consulate, killing British Consul-General Roger Short. The synagogue attacks took place during religious services, though most of the dead were Muslim Turks who happened to be at the site. Regrettable, but necessary. If the infidels hadn’t been there, those muslims wouldn’t have died. According to the indictment, the militants initially planned to attack a sprawling air base used by U.S. forces in the southeastern town of Incirlik and an Israeli passenger ship during a port call to the Mediterranean resort of Alanya, NTV said. Intelligence officials have said the militants changed their targets after being stymied by high security at Incirlik. High security = targets that shoot back. No trial date has been set for the 69 suspects, but their cases are expected to be heard soon. "We’re working on writing the verdict right now. Soon as that’s finished, we’ll set a date for the trial." Prosecutors demanded life sentences for Harun Ilhan, Adnan Ersoz, Fevzi Yitik, Osman Eken and Yusuf Polat, who are charged with "attempting to change Turkey’s constitutional order through the use of force." The charge is similar to treason and was punishable by death until Turkey abolished that penalty in 2002 to help its bid for membership in the European Union. Pity. The other suspects were charged with membership in an illegal group and abetting terrorists. An additional nine top suspects are at large and were not immediately charged, Anatolia reported. The nine - including suspected ringleaders Habip Aktas, Gurcan Bac and Azad Ekinci - are believed to be hiding abroad. Survey says - Iran. NTV said prosecutors claim Aktas got permission for the attacks in a meeting with senior al-Qaida lieutenant Abu Mohammed al-Masri, wanted in connection with the bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998. Large truck bombs on soft targets are his trademark. Ersoz and another indicted suspect, Baki Yigit, allegedly met with bin Laden in Kandahar, Afghanistan. This meeting was several years ago. Some of the suspects received military training in al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to NTV. Anatolia, citing the indictment, said Aktas gave the order for the attacks, which were allegedly financed by al-Qaida members in Europe and Iran. The name Iran keeps popping up, doesn’t it. |
| Posted by:Steve |