 A Turkish lawyer who defended suspected Al Qaeda militants was cleared yesterday of charges of funding members of the terrorist network, Anatolia news agency reported. The judge ruled that Osman Karahan had given money to two Arabs to help them afford their university education in Istanbul, but there was no proof that either he or the two students are linked to Al Qaeda.
| "Really. No proof at all. The witnesses are all dead, y'know..." |
Karahan, who sports an Islamic-style beard and has spoken in favor of Islamists, risked up to 10 years in jail in the case. The court also lifted a ban on Karahan practicing his profession, Anatolia reported. Karahan is the lawyer for several Turks currently on trial over two sets of twin blasts in Istanbul in November 2003 as well as for a Syrian man believed to be a senior Al Qaeda operative and charged with masterminding the attacks on orders from Osama Bin Laden. 63 people were killed when suicide bombers detonated their explosive-laden trucks—first at two synagogues in the ancient heart of Istanbul, and at the British consulate and the HSBC bank five days later. |