Istanbul, Nov 25: A state security court today charged nine suspected accomplices in last week's Istanbul suicide bombings with membership in an illegal organisation or aiding an illegal organisation, a defence lawyer said. The charges are punishable by up to five years in prison.
After a nightlong session of questioning, the court after midnight charged one of the suspected accomplices with "aiding and abetting an illegal organisation," and eight others with "membership in an illegal organisation," lawyer Selahattin Karahan said.
Three other suspects were released, Karahan added.
No trial date was set.
The charges, coming just five days after the latest bombings, indicated quick progress in the investigation into a suspected Islamic terror cell believed to be behind the spate of attacks that left 57 dead.
Four other detainees were released yesterday, apparently for lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, Istanbul city Governor Muammer Guler confirmed police had identified the man who rammed an explosive-packed pickup truck into the city's British Consulate and other "culprits" in the attack.
Guler would not name the man. However the Istanbul daily Milliyet defied government reporting restrictions and identified him as Feridun Ugurlu, a Turk believed to have fought with Islamic radicals in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
"We've identified the culprits who carried out the attack on the British Consulate," Guler said. "We've all details and we know their connections."
Bureau Report