al-Qaeda Sleeper Cell Broken Up In Turkey 5 Arrested Including High School English Teacher
December 30, 2007 by national
Filed under World Report
Five accused members of an alleged al-Qaeda sleeper cell including a high school teacher were ordered jailed Sunday on terror charges, reports said.
They were among 19 people detained in a sweep Saturday in four cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Aksaray, and the southern city of Adana, the state-run Anatolia news agency said. The others were released pending trial, the report said.
Police also seized firearms, bullets, fake ID cards and other documents, Anatolia said.
The group is an alleged al-Qaeda “sleeper cell” that police had been monitoring for some time, the Milliyet daily newspaper reported.
After monitoring the group for some time, police moved against the alleged cell amid fears members may have been preparing an attack, the paper said.
Among the five key suspects is an English teacher from a high school in the central city of Aksaray, Anatolia said. Police in Ankara did not comment on the report.
Authorities traditionally step up security in Turkey’s main cities in the days before New Year celebrations. Islamic militants have carried out bombings during the festivities in the past.
