Al-Qaida Claims Responsibility for Turkey Blast
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2003 4:26 pm
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAIRO, Egypt, Nov. 16 — An Arabic-language newspaper received a claim of responsibility from the al-Qaida terrorist movement for the car bomb attacks that killed 23 people in two Istanbul synagogues Saturday, the paper’s editor said Sunday.
THE STATEMENT received by the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, said the group carried out the attack because it learned that agents of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad were in the synagogues.
Abdel Bari Atwan, the newspaper’s editor, told the pan-Arab cable station Al-Jazeera that the claim was received by e-mail from the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, which has been identified as part of al-Qaida. It has sent at least three similar claims regarding attacks to the newspaper in recent months.
Israeli intelligence and explosives experts joined Turkish officials Sunday in the probe of the twin bombings, which also wounded more than 300 people including Jews at the synagogues, but mostly Muslims passing by.
CAIRO, Egypt, Nov. 16 — An Arabic-language newspaper received a claim of responsibility from the al-Qaida terrorist movement for the car bomb attacks that killed 23 people in two Istanbul synagogues Saturday, the paper’s editor said Sunday.
THE STATEMENT received by the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, said the group carried out the attack because it learned that agents of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad were in the synagogues.
Abdel Bari Atwan, the newspaper’s editor, told the pan-Arab cable station Al-Jazeera that the claim was received by e-mail from the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, which has been identified as part of al-Qaida. It has sent at least three similar claims regarding attacks to the newspaper in recent months.
Israeli intelligence and explosives experts joined Turkish officials Sunday in the probe of the twin bombings, which also wounded more than 300 people including Jews at the synagogues, but mostly Muslims passing by.
