Suicide bomb victims' bodies flown home

The bodies of the two British diplomats killed in last week’s suicide bomb attack against the British Consulate were flown home today after a sombre ceremony at Istanbul’s international airport.

British Consul-General Roger Short and his assistant Lisa Hallworth were both killed last Thursday when a suspected Islamic militant rammed an explosive-laden pickup truck into the main gate of the British Consulate.

Turkish soldiers today loaded the two coffins, each draped with a Union Jack, on to a Turkish military cargo plane for the trip back to Britain.

Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler joined other British diplomats for the religious ceremony at Ataturk Airport. Hallworth’s family accompanied the coffin on the flight home.

Four suicide bombings killed a total of 57 people in attacks on two synagogues on November 15 and two other simultaneous bombings of the British Consulate and a British bank five days later.

About 450 people were injured in the attacks.