Suicide Bombers attack 2 Synagogues in Istanbul, killing 23 People and injuring more than 300 by James Helicke, Associated Press 9:22am 16th Nov, 2003   Istanbul. November 16, 2003    Suicide car bombers attacked two synagogues in Istanbul yesterday, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 300, Turkey's interior minister said.    A militant Turkish Islamic group claimed responsibility for the blasts, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.    One explosion went off outside the Neve Shalom synagogue, the city's largest. The other severely damaged the Beth Israel synagogue in the affluent district of Sisli, five kilometres away, where members of the city's tiny Jewish and Armenian, Greek communities live.    Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said at least 23 people killed and 300 were injured.    Twisted metal, shattered windows and debris from partly collapsed synagogues and nearby buildings filled the streets, while the smell of smoke and burned bodies filled the air.    Television footage showed medical teams carrying away several people, some with bloodied or charred faces. Private NTV television showed the twisted wreckage of a car and a huge crater in front of the Neve Shalom.    Sabri Yalim, the head of Istanbul's fire department, said the scene outside the Neve Shalom synagogue looked like a war zone. "There is a huge pit on the ground. The houses and cars are completely destroyed, as if a huge earthquake hit the area," Yalim said.    The explosions occurred during morning Sabbath prayers. Most of the casualties appeared to be residents living nearby.    NTV television said a car was seen parked just before the explosion in front of the Neve Shalom.    "There was huge panic, glasses exploding and metal pieces all over the place. There were lots of people injured," said Enver Eker, a witness.    In a telephone call to Anatolia, a person claiming to be from the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front said the militant group was responsible for the attacks, and promised more. The caller said "the attacks would continue in the future and the reason was that to prevent the oppression against Muslims".    Police have accused the group, also known as IBDA-C, for bombing that injured 10 people in Istanbul in 2000. However, no one has claimed responsibility for that attack. The Neve Shalom synagogue was the site of an attack by gunmen in 1986 in which 22 worshippers died.    - AP    15 November – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today condemned the terrorist attacks against two synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey.    The Secretary-General is "appalled at the loss of life," a UN spokesman in New York said in a statement. Mr. Annan urged that "all measures be taken to bring those responsible for these heinous acts to justice."    Through his spokesman, the Secretary-General also extended condolences to the Government of Turkey and to the families of the victims.    15 November – Condemning the deadly terrorist bombings in Istanbul today, the Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the perpetrators must be held accountable under the law.    Bertrand Ramcharan said it is "particularly disturbing" that the bombers targeted houses of worship, namely the synagogues of Neve Shalom and Beth Israel in the Turkish capital.    "Religious places must be held sacred," he said in a statement released in Geneva.    Mr. Ramcharan stressed that "nothing can justify such wanton attacks against civilians" which he called "a complete denial of human rights."    "Whatever their claims, those who carry out this type of attack -- whether they act as they have done recently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against civilians and places of worship in Iraq, and in too many other places to count -- are criminals that must be brought to justice in accordance with international human rights law," he said.
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