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Terror in Turkey: Car bombs leave 23 dead
Istanbul, Nov 16: Twin car bombs exploded outside Istanbul synagogues filled with worshippers during Sabbath prayers on Saturday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 277, officials said.
Istanbul, Nov 16: Twin car bombs exploded outside Istanbul synagogues filled with worshippers during Sabbath prayers on Saturday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 277, officials said.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said there were "international connections" to the near simultaneous attacks, one of which blasted the city's largest synagogue, Neve Shalom, as hundreds were gathered to celebrate a "bar mitzvah", the coming-of-age ceremony for a young man.
Police were investigating whether the al-Qaeda terror network had any link to the bombings, a private television network reported.
A huge crater was blown into the pavement in front of Neve Shalom, and the narrow street was covered with charred debris and shattered cars, as medical teams carried away bloodied and burned victims. The other blast hit the Beth Israel synagogue in the affluent district of Sisli, five kilometers, collapsing its roof and littering the street with wreckage.
"There was huge panic, glass exploding and metal pieces all over the place," said Enver Eker, who witnessed the blast at Neve Shalom, which in Hebrew means "oasis of peace".
At least 23 were dead and 277 were wounded, police said. Six of the dead and up to 80 of the wounded were Jews, an official in the Jewish community said on condition of anonymity. Most of the casualties were passers-by or residents of nearby houses.
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said police were investigating whether the blasts were set off by suicide bombers, a timer or remote control. Aksu had earlier said the attacks appeared to be suicide bombings, but he said police were now checking footage from the synagogues' security cameras.
Security camera footage shows a driver parking a red Fiat in front of Neve Shalom, then getting out and walking away from the car before it explodes, police told the country's semi-official news agency.
The chief rabbi of Turkey's 25,000-member Jewish community, Isak Haleva, was slightly injured in his hand, and his son Yosef suffered serious facial wounds and underwent eye surgery.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Istanbul bombings "an attack against humanity". Bureau Report
Police were investigating whether the al-Qaeda terror network had any link to the bombings, a private television network reported.
A huge crater was blown into the pavement in front of Neve Shalom, and the narrow street was covered with charred debris and shattered cars, as medical teams carried away bloodied and burned victims. The other blast hit the Beth Israel synagogue in the affluent district of Sisli, five kilometers, collapsing its roof and littering the street with wreckage.
"There was huge panic, glass exploding and metal pieces all over the place," said Enver Eker, who witnessed the blast at Neve Shalom, which in Hebrew means "oasis of peace".
At least 23 were dead and 277 were wounded, police said. Six of the dead and up to 80 of the wounded were Jews, an official in the Jewish community said on condition of anonymity. Most of the casualties were passers-by or residents of nearby houses.
Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said police were investigating whether the blasts were set off by suicide bombers, a timer or remote control. Aksu had earlier said the attacks appeared to be suicide bombings, but he said police were now checking footage from the synagogues' security cameras.
Security camera footage shows a driver parking a red Fiat in front of Neve Shalom, then getting out and walking away from the car before it explodes, police told the country's semi-official news agency.
The chief rabbi of Turkey's 25,000-member Jewish community, Isak Haleva, was slightly injured in his hand, and his son Yosef suffered serious facial wounds and underwent eye surgery.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Istanbul bombings "an attack against humanity". Bureau Report