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Turks, Kurds were bombers
By Ed O'Loughlin, Herald Correspondent in Istanbul November 24, 2003
from -
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/11/23/1069522473829.html
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The four suicide bombers who murdered more than 50 people in Istanbul last week have been identified as Turkish citizens and ethnic Kurds with strong links to al-Qaeda.
Turkish authorities and local media say that all four come from the troubled south-eastern Turkish city of Binjol and knew each other well.
In recent years members of the group are also known to have visited Afghanistan, where they are believed to have received indoctrination and training.
One alleged associate arrested after the Thursday attacks on the British consulate and the HSBC Bank is reported to have fought for the Muslim cause in Chechnya and Bosnia while another had training in Pakistan.
Turkey has experienced its worst terrorist onslaught in recent history. On November 15, 25 people were killed in two suicide truck bomb attacks on Istanbul synagogues.
Then last Thursday 28 people, including the British consul general Robert Short, died in similar attacks on the consulate and the British-owned bank.
Hundreds more people were wounded as debris from the massive homemade bombs cut through crowded streets.
The scale of the attacks and origins of the killers have shocked Istanbul, a teeming city of 12 million that prides itself on its moderation and its role as a bridge between east and west.
The Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, said that it was a national shame that the terrorists were Turkish citizens. "We have lost four terrorists who were our citizens," he said at the funeral of two policemen who had died trying to defend the British consulate.
On Saturday thousands of people marched through Istanbul to protest against the attacks. In Taksim Square many people held up clenched fists or "V for victory" as they honoured the dead with a minute's silence. Many had pictures of dead victims pinned to their lapels.
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