Istanbul Governor: Suicide Attacks Were Staged By Components Of Al-qaida

ISTANBUL - Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said on Friday that suicide attacks in Istanbul were staged by components of terrorist organization al-Qaida which tried to be structured in Turkey.
Holding a press conference in Istanbul Security Directorate, Guler said, ''according to investigations conducted, testimonies and interrogations, those suicide attacks were staged by components of terrorist organization al-Qaida which tried to be structured in Turkey.''
Guler said that it was found out that some high level officials of the organization fled abroad and stated, ''when those people are captured, how international links are carried out will also become clear.''
Noting that Istanbul State Security Court (DGM) arrested 35 people including some high level members of the organization so far, Guler said that other 10 people including a high level member of the organization were also sent to DGM on Friday.
Guler said that inspections which were carried out by experts, assessment of information which were received and interrogation of people who were detained showed that people who staged those attacks formed an organizational structure which had link with an international terrorist organization in Turkey and stated that it was found out that mentioned attacks were staged by people and components of this terrorist organization in Turkey.
He stated that it was also found out that people who were captured did not have any connection with any denominational organization which was earlier deciphered and that there was not any information on any of these persons in the archives. Guler said this showed that those people who have been in a new organizational formation of foreign origin staged those attacks.
He noted that 159 people were caught in Bingol, Van, Konya, Bursa, Ankara, Hakkari, Agri and Mardin in order to capture people who were suspects of those attacks in operations carried out by Istanbul Security Directorate.
Guler said that those who aided and abetted people who staged bomb attacks were also found out and stated that police seized in operations five kalashnikov guns, clips, pistols, eight sacks of RDX explosive substances, three sacks of Penta Eritritol-M (PETN) explosive substance, chemicals, some substances and laboratory materials used in making bombs, electricity cables, fuse, binoculars hand made fuse and other materials.
He stated that all these showed that many explosives were used in those attacks and noted that 6 tons of fertilizer were used in four separate attacks.
Stating that explosives which were found now would have been used in other attacks, Guler added that Turkish and Istanbul police prevented those attacks.
(EÖ-AÖ) 26.12.2003