Report: 4 suspects held in U.S. consulate attack

3 police, 3 assailants killed in Istanbul shootout; al-Qaida link probed
The Associated Press
updated 8:35 a.m. ET, Thurs., July. 10, 2008
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Four suspects have been detained in connection with the attack on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, a Turkey news agency reported Thursday.

The Dogan news agency quoted Interior Minister Besir Atalay as saying that four were in custody. The attack Wednesday resulted in the deaths of three policemen and three assailants.

One of the assailants escaped in a getaway car. It was not immediately clear if he was among the four detained Thursday.

Meantime, investigators are trying to determine whether of one of the gunmen in the attack was linked to al-Qaida terrorists.

Erkan Kargin, one of the three attackers killed by police, had traveled to Afghanistan, said a government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Police have said they suspect the armed men were linked to al-Qaida even though the assault did not match the terror group's usual hallmarks, such as coordinated attacks by suicide bombers that cause mass casualties.

"They chose one of the best protected buildings in Turkey, not because they wanted to blow it up, but because they knew it would attract world attention," said Ihsan Bal, head of terrorism studies at Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization.

All Turkish assailants
The bearded gunmen emerged from a car and shot a traffic officer dead, then swarmed the guard quarters at the entrance to the consulate, where two policemen were killed, according to security video. Officers fired back, killing three of the assailants — all Turks — as bystanders fled for cover.

Turkish authorities have been increasingly targeting suspected Islamic militants since al-Qaida-linked suicide bombers killed 58 people in 2003 by targeting two synagogues, the British consulate and a British bank in Istanbul.

Turkey also has been cracking down on both ultranationalists who have attacked Christians and on Kurdish rebels, two groups it deems a threat to the country's security.

"There is nothing more sensational than attacking the U.S. consulate for an Islamic militant," said Emin Demirel, a Turkish terrorism expert and author of "Al-Qaida Elements in Turkey." "However, this attack certainly lacks the sophisticated hallmarks of al-Qaida."

The U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Turkey's foreign ministry said security around all American diplomatic missions in Turkey had been increased.


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