Turkey bomb suspects 'took orders from bin Laden deputy'

Two key suspects in the Istanbul suicide bombings, in which 61 people died, took instructions from Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man, newspapers reported today.

Hurriyet newspaper said main suspects Habib Aktas and Azad Ekinci met with bin Laden’s top surviving lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri, several times.

The two Turks are suspected of hatching the plans for the suicide bombings on November 15 against two synagogues and on the British Consulate and a British bank five days later.

“They were the only ones to meet with Al-Zawahiri,” Hurriyet quoted one suspect, identified as Yusuf Polat, as telling police during questioning.

“The instructions came from him. They would meet (with him) at least three times a year, using false identity documents.”

Police would not comment on the reports.

The reports came a day after Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener told reporters following a Cabinet meeting that “those who were involved in these terrorist attacks as suicide bombers, and those who had relations with them … are linked to the al-Qaida terrorist organisation”.

At least three claims of responsibility for the bombings purportedly came from al-Qaida. The government had been hesitant to name al-Qaida and Sener’s statement was the first time the government directly linked the attacks to bin Laden’s network.

Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, is believed to be bin Laden’s chief deputy.

The man identified as Polat was captured while trying to travel into Iran and charged over the weekend with a crime equivalent to treason.

Newspapers have said he confessed to belonging to a small al-Qaida cell in Turkey. Police said he surveyed the site for one of the synagogue bombings and gave the go-ahead for the attack. The man’s arrest was the most prominent to date in the investigation into the attacks.

Police believe that Aktas, Ekinci and four other suspected ringleaders of a Turkish cell linked to al-Qaida, fled abroad just before the attacks, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported.

On Sunday, Syria handed over 22 suspects in the bombing at Turkey’s request.

More than 130 people have been detained so far in connection to the bombings and 21 people – including Polat – have been charged, most with aiding or membership in an illegal organisation.