| Submit your comments on this article | ||
| Europe | ||
| Turkish Terror Suspect Testifies | ||
| 2004-09-13 | ||
| A Turkish terror suspect testified Monday that members of an alleged Turkish al-Qaida cell met with Osama bin Laden and other top leaders of the network in Afghanistan and hinted the group funneled $150,000 to fund suicide bombings in Istanbul. The nine suspects, among 69 on trial for the suicide truck bombings that killed 61 people, appeared in court Monday to testify for the first time. The November 2003 bombings targeted two synagogues, the British Consulate and the local headquarters of the London-based HSBC bank. Prosecutors say those killed included British Consul-General Roger Short, and that more than 600 people were wounded. In his testimony, defendant Adnan Ersoz acknowledged that he helped arrange a 2001 meeting between Abu Hafs al-Masri, a former top lieutenant of bin Laden, and Habib Akdas, the alleged leader of the Turkish cell. At the meeting, al-Masri agreed to give $8,900 to bring Turks to Afghanistan to wage a jihad, or holy war, Ersoz said. Al-Masri said al-Qaida was also interested in carrying out an attack on an Israeli ship making a call in Turkey or on the southern Turkish Incirlik air base that is used by U.S. jets, he said. Akdas said "he'd do research and find out" about a possible attack, according to the testimony. Ersoz said Akdas was interested in meeting bin Laden and that the two attended a talk by the al-Qaida leader a few days later. Later that year, Akdas approached Ersoz and said he wanted to attack Incirlik, the defendant said. "He talked to me about it and wanted me to help. He wanted $150,000 or $200,000 from al-Qaida," Ersoz said. "I didn't accept the proposal. ... I tried to talk him out of it." He said Akdas later told him that he had received $150,000 from "people" in Syria and Iran. Ersoz denied any direct involvement in the later attacks.
On Friday, Turkish television stations broadcast a video believed to have been prepared by militants that claimed that Akdas was killed in a U.S. bombing raid in Iraq. Turkish authorities have said that Akdas is believed to have fled to Iraq and was reportedly involved in the kidnapping of several Turkish workers there in recent months. Al-Masri was reported killed in a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in 2001.
| ||
| Posted by:Steve |