Thirty alleged Al-Qaeda members arrested in Turkey: report

Updated at: 0718 PST, Thursday, December 18, 2008 ISTANBUL: Turkish police on Wednesday arrested 30 people suspected of belonging to the Al-Qaeda network, a news agency reported. Anti-terrorist police arrested 15 suspects in Istanbul and 15 more in two other regions of the country, the report said without giving further details. They also seized documents and other material during the operation, the report added. The arrests are the latest in a string of detentions in Turkey. In August, eleven alleged members of Al-Qaeda were arrested in southeastern Turkey, accused of establishing a group named the Muslim Revenge Brigade in order to carry out attacks. They are due to be tried later this month. A Turkish Al-Qaeda cell was held responsible for attacks in Istanbul in November 2003 against two synagogues, the British Consulate and a British Bank which left 63 people dead and hundreds more wounded. Last year, seven men were jailed for life over the bombings, among them a Syrian national who masterminded and financed the attacks.