Turkish police arrest 21 suspected al-Qaeda members

31/08/2008

ANKARA, Turkey -- Police arrested 21 suspected al-Qaeda members Friday (August 29th) as part of a wide-scale operation in Istanbul. Authorities suspect they may have been planning terrorist attacks in the city. The detainees are all believed to have under gone ideological and military training in Afghanistan.

In other news Friday, three people died and 26 were seriously injured in two strong explosions at a gunpowder plant in Kirikkale, about 70km east of Ankara. Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul said no employees were in the facility at the time of the blasts. The victims were painting contractors. (Anadolu news agency, AFP, Xinhua, Hurriyet, CNN Turk, AP, Zaman - 29/08/08)