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Synagogue blasts leave 20 killed, 257 injured

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA Nov. 15. At least 20 people were killed and more than 257 injured when car bombs exploded almost simultaneously outside two synagogues in Istanbul during prayer time this morning, sparking fears that Islamic extremists had begun to target Turkey.

One car bomb went off near the Neve Shalom synagogue, the city's largest, while another brought down the roof of the Beth Israel Synagogue in the upscale Sisli district about 5 km away. Turkey, which is a member of the NATO, is home to around 25,000 Jews and has close ties with Israel.

In Israel, Raanan Gissin, an adviser to the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said, "This wasn't just an attack against Jews. This is radical Islamic terrorism against humanity.''

Gunmen had targeted the Neve Shalom synagogue in 1986, resulting in the death of 22 Jewish worshippers. Television pictures showed medical teams rushing victims, some with their faces bloodied or charred, while Turkish private television NTV focused on the wreckage of a car and a huge crater in front of the Neve Shalom synagogue. Parking was not allowed in front of the synagogues but NTV, quoting intelligence sources, said two passing pick-up trucks might have been using in the attack.

The television channel quoted police as saying that it had information about the Al-Qaeda planning an attack in Turkey. The radical Turkish group, the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front, has claimed responsibility for the bombings, but Turkish media said the attack was too sophisticated for the relatively small local organisation to carry out. A person claiming to be member of the Front told Turkey's Anatolia news agency, "the attacks will continue in the future and the reason is to prevent the oppression against Muslims.''

In televised remarks, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Abduallh Gul, said there were "international links" to the two terrorist attacks, which he believed were carried out by suicide bombers. "It is clear that this is a terrorist event with international links,'' Mr. Gul said. "These attacks will have no effect on our policies. We will continue our struggle with strong determination against terror.''

The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on a visit to Cyprus, said the intention of the attackers was to destabilise Turkey. "This is a bomb aimed at the stability and peace in the Turkish Republic,'' he said, adding it needed to be condemned "as an attack against humanity."

Mr. Erdogan said he would fly direct to Istanbul later on Saturday rather than return to the Turkish capital, Ankara.

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