TURKEY/FILE: Al-Qaeda suspects stand trial over Istanbul bombings

The trial of 72 suspected members of a Turkish al-Qaeda cell implicated in the November 2003 Istanbul bombings resumed on Tuesday (November 14) with lawyers presenting their closing arguments. Osman Karahan, one of the defence lawyers for the Turkish al-Qaeda suspects, said that they will seek the release of their clients. "The trial is in a big crisis. To make it clear, those who are not involved in the case should be discharged" he said. Prosecutors have asked for life sentences for a key Syrian al-Qaeda suspect, Loa'I Mohammad Haj Bakr al-Saqa, on charges of masterminding the suicide bombings that killed 58 people in Istanbul. The suspects are believed to be the chief plotters of the blasts, in which four suicide bombers rammed bomb-packed trucks into buildings bearing significant symbolism. The first of the attacks targeted two synagogues on November 15 2003. Five days later, assailants targeted the British Consulate General and local headquarters of the London-based HSBC bank.

ITN Source | November 14, 2006

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