Istanbul bomb mastermind 'killed' in Iraq
The leader of the Turkish al-Qaida cell blamed for last November’s suicide bombings in Istanbul that killed the British consul has been blown up in Iraq, it was claimed today.
Turkish TV channels showed the body of a bearded man with a bloody face they said was Habib Akdas who is believed to have fled to Iraq around the time of the Istanbul attacks.
A man who claimed to be a Turkish militant was heard in the video saying that Akdas was killed in a bombing raid this week in Iraq’s Al-Anbar region.
Turkish media has suggested that Akdas may have been involved in the kidnapping of several Turkish workers in Iraq in recent months.
The November suicide bombings in Istanbul targeted two synagogues, a London-based bank and the British Consulate. More than 60 people were killed.
Prosecutors say Akdas met on several occasions with Abu Hafs al-Masri, a former top lieutenant of bin Laden.
Al-Masri is believed to have arranged for Akdas and another militant to meet with Osama bin Laden in 2001 in Afghanistan.
