ISTANBUL - Istanbul Police Department said on Thursday that 51 people had been detained in connection with four bomb attacks staged in Istanbul on November 15 and 20.
Istanbul Deputy Police Chief Halil Yilmaz told reporters that 18 of the 51 detainees were sent to prison on charges of being a member of an illegal organizations and aiding and abetting those organizations.
Yilmaz said that procedures related with nine of detainees continued.
Bomb attack on Neve Shalom Synagogue in Beyoglu district of Istanbul was staged by a white Isuzu pick-up truck having a license plate of 34 ZR 099, Yilmaz stated.
Yilmaz said that the attack on Beth Israel Synagogue in Sisli district was staged by a red Isuzu pick-up truck having a license plate of 34 UHK 68.
Both pick-up trucks were loaded with hand-made bombs prepared by ammonium nitrate, Yilmaz pointed out.
Yilmaz recalled that 27 people, including one policeman and one security guard died in those suicide attacks.
''Also, two suicide bombers died in these attacks while 262 people were injured. Many workplaces and houses were damaged,'' Yilmaz said.
Yilmaz stated that all materials found in blast sites were sent to Criminology Police Laboratories and investigation still continued.
''Eight people who were detained after these attacks were transferred to Istanbul State Security Court (DGM) on November 20. The prosecutor's office released two of them while sent six of them to prison on charges of aiding and abetting an illegal organization,'' Yilmaz said.
Yilmaz, briefing journalists on last week's attacks, stated that suicide bombers came to the spots simultaneously with a 1995 model white pick-up, having plate number 34 UVD 06 had come in front of HSBC Bank General Directorate building in Levent, Besiktas at around 10.55 local time on November 20, 2003, and the other with a 1995 model white pick-up, having plate number 34 VCV 25 had come in front of British Consulate General in Beyoglu. He said the two pick ups were loaded with hand made bombs with a mixture of ammonium nitrate. Yilmaz said the suicide bombers exploded the devices at the moment they came to the spot.
Yilmaz said 28 people, including Britain's Consul General in Istanbul Roger Short and two policemen lost their lives, and that 450 others were injured. He said two suicide bombers died in the attacks.
Stating that all the evidences that were obtained following the attacks and the assailants were sent to Police Criminology Laboratory, Yilmaz said, ''16 of those that were detained in line with the information and documents obtained, were sent to State Security Court (DGM) on November 24, 2003 and that four of them were released by the Prosecutor's Office and three of them were released by the police. He said nine of those detained were arrested on charges of being members of illegal organization and aiding and abetting the organization.
Yilmaz also said 18 of the people, whose custody proceedings were underway pertaining to the issue continue, had been sent to DGM on November 26, 2003, and that Prosecutor's office released 14 of them and another one was released by the court. Yilmaz said three of them were arrested on charges of being members of the terrorist organizations and aiding and abetting the terrorist organization. He said nine people, who are currently under custody regarding the issue, will be sent to Istanbul DGM today.
Yilmaz said efforts were underway to illuminate the incidents in all aspects and to capture assailants.
Yilmaz said five weapons, four rifles, many bullets, equipment and mechanisms used in making bomb, three watches, one solder machine, one volt-meter, three video cameras, cables full of a plastic bag, three daggers, four snow masks, four tear gas sprays, two binoculars, one rifle binoculars, 20 hand wireless, two FM wireless, one hand projector, one camera, seven mobile phones, five computer cases, one laptop, documents in Arabic, many CDs, and many false shipping papers.
(BRC-AY-AÖ) 27.11.2003