Turkey arrests 13 suspected of Al-Qaeda links

ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

Police seized 90 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make bombs, in a house raid in Kocaeli province. AA Photo

Thirteen people suspected of having links to Al-Qaeda were arrested in northwest Turkey following the discovery of explosives, the local governor said Thursday.
 
Police seized 90 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make bombs, in a house raid in Karamürsel, Kocaeli province, Governor Ercan Topaca was quoted as saying by Anatolia news agency.
 
"Thirteen people have been arrested and four others are wanted as part of this operation targetting Al-Qaeda circles", he added.
 
The alleged militants were suspected of wanting to foment attacks against targets that have not yet been identified, the official said. Two bomb attacks in November 2003 in Istanbul left 63 people dead and hundreds wounded.
 
Seven men were sentenced to life in prison in 2007 for involvement in these attacks, which were blamed on Al-Qaeda and that targetted two synagogues, the British consulate and a branch of the British bank HSBC.