- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
An al-Qaeda plot to blow up Tony Blair, George Bush and up to FIFTY
other world leaders has been foiled. Cops in Turkey earlier this
week unveiled a huge arsenal of weapons and explosives found stashed
in preparation for a terror doomsday. They are convinced the target
was next month‘s Nato summit in Istanbul. And they believe the aim
was to wipe out the West‘s commanders of the War on Terror in an
outrage that would dwarf the impact of September 11. Simultaneous
raids led to 25 members of the fanatical Islamist group Ansar
al-Islam being arrested. Nine were held in biggest city Istanbul and
16 in Bursa, a town 160 miles south. Cops seized guns, explosives
and bomb-making booklets, along with 4,000 compact discs giving
training by al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. There were also timing
dev-ices linked to mobile phones -- like those used in the Madrid
bombings -- and fake ID cards. Nine of those held in Bursa were last
night charged with being members of an illegal organisation, an
offence which can carry a ten-year sentence. Turkish TV reported
that three had also been charged with plotting a suicide attack on
the summit, but officials would not confirm this. The other 16
suspects were questioned and released. It was not clear if they might
still face charges later. Security chiefs in Turkey have been on
high alert since last year‘s truck bomb assaults on the British
Embassy in Istanbul and Jewish targets, which killed 61 people.
Ansar al-Islam are militants from Kurdish northern Iraq accused by
the US of being an al-Qaeda splinter group. Bursa‘s governor Oguz
Kagan Koksal said the arrests followed a year of surveillance. He
added: "The organisation planning this attack has been destroyed."
Mr Koksal said Ansar al-Islam also planned attacks on US troops in
Iraq. The suspects were plotting a bank robbery to finance their
operations and were involved in pirating PC software for cash. Last
night Nato said its two-day summit, which will discuss Iraq, will
still go ahead as planned on June 28. A spokeswoman said: "The
Turkish authorities are responsible for security and we have
confidence in them." Turkey is the only predominantly Muslim Nato
member and is viewed as a prime target for Islamist groups because of
close ties with the US. (A quick search reveals that this is all
over European papers, but is getting zip reportage here. Why? --S.)
other world leaders has been foiled. Cops in Turkey earlier this
week unveiled a huge arsenal of weapons and explosives found stashed
in preparation for a terror doomsday. They are convinced the target
was next month‘s Nato summit in Istanbul. And they believe the aim
was to wipe out the West‘s commanders of the War on Terror in an
outrage that would dwarf the impact of September 11. Simultaneous
raids led to 25 members of the fanatical Islamist group Ansar
al-Islam being arrested. Nine were held in biggest city Istanbul and
16 in Bursa, a town 160 miles south. Cops seized guns, explosives
and bomb-making booklets, along with 4,000 compact discs giving
training by al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. There were also timing
dev-ices linked to mobile phones -- like those used in the Madrid
bombings -- and fake ID cards. Nine of those held in Bursa were last
night charged with being members of an illegal organisation, an
offence which can carry a ten-year sentence. Turkish TV reported
that three had also been charged with plotting a suicide attack on
the summit, but officials would not confirm this. The other 16
suspects were questioned and released. It was not clear if they might
still face charges later. Security chiefs in Turkey have been on
high alert since last year‘s truck bomb assaults on the British
Embassy in Istanbul and Jewish targets, which killed 61 people.
Ansar al-Islam are militants from Kurdish northern Iraq accused by
the US of being an al-Qaeda splinter group. Bursa‘s governor Oguz
Kagan Koksal said the arrests followed a year of surveillance. He
added: "The organisation planning this attack has been destroyed."
Mr Koksal said Ansar al-Islam also planned attacks on US troops in
Iraq. The suspects were plotting a bank robbery to finance their
operations and were involved in pirating PC software for cash. Last
night Nato said its two-day summit, which will discuss Iraq, will
still go ahead as planned on June 28. A spokeswoman said: "The
Turkish authorities are responsible for security and we have
confidence in them." Turkey is the only predominantly Muslim Nato
member and is viewed as a prime target for Islamist groups because of
close ties with the US. (A quick search reveals that this is all
over European papers, but is getting zip reportage here. Why? --S.)
