Turk charged with treason over bombings

Published on Saturday 20 December 2003 00:00

A TURK was yesterday charged with treason after authorities said he was a link between al-Qaeda and suicide bombers who killed 62 people, including the British consul, in Istanbul last month.

Adnan Ersoz, who was arrested on Monday, is suspected of involvement in the planning of the four lorry bombings after meeting Osama bin Laden, an intelligence official said.

Ersoz confessed he underwent explosives training in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002, the official said.

Ersoz appeared before an Istanbul court yesterday and said he went to Afghanistan in 1997, admitted to receiving military training there, and met bin Laden in 2001, but denied advanced knowledge of the attacks, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

He also denied he had received orders from bin Laden to carry out the attacks.

The State Security Court in Istanbul charged him with attempting to overthrow Turkey’s "constitutional order by force". The offence amounts to treason and is punishable by life in prison. No trial date has been set.

Police said Ersoz was captured as he entered the country at Istanbul airport. Anatolia said he had flown from Iran.

Ersoz told the court he had come to Turkey to take advantage of a government amnesty that benefits those who give information about illegal groups. He admitted he knew several of the bombing suspects, but denied links to them.

Turkish police said he revealed "a local structure has been established in Turkey" that was linked to "an international terrorist organisation".

Police also said the man indicated he lived abroad "and has been maintaining the link between this structure and the terrorist organisation".

The police did not name the "international terrorist organisation", but intelligence officials said the statement was referring to al-Qaeda.

Ersoz was believed to be a senior member of local al-Qaeda cells. "He is one of the top guys who met bin Laden and received his blessing for the attacks," the official said.

Another official said Ersoz confirmed that the militants’ wanted to attack a Turkish base used by the US but had been hindered by tight security.

They instead bombed two synagogues on 15 November and the British consulate and a London-based bank in Istanbul five days later.