Thursday, July 14, 2011

14 detained in plot to 'avenge Osama'

Turkish police detain 14 people in al-Qaida raids
By REUTERS

ISTANBUL - Turkish police have detained 14 people in raids targeting the al-Qaida militant group across western Turkey after the discovery of explosives and weapons, the Interior Ministry said.

Police ceased 700 kg (1,500 lb) of ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient in improvised explosives, in a raid on a house in the province of Ankara, Milliyet newspaper said on Wednesday.

The detainees, linked to a group active in Afghanistan, were detained on Tuesday on suspicion of planning attacks on US installations in Turkey to avenge the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan on May 2, the paper said.

Police operations were also conducted in the western Turkish provinces of Bursa and Yalova after the raid in Ankara, the Interior Ministry said late on Tuesday.

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