NEWS: Security problems in Istanbul, El Al stops flights

REUTERS - Bomb Destroyed at Istanbul Airport: TV
"Security received a warning and closed the car park for 1-1/2 hours. At this time, they have been unable to find any explosive device," the official said.
Another official said a suspicious package had been destroyed but could not confirm whether it was an explosive.

Private news channels CNN Turk and NTV reported a small, remote-controlled bomb was found beneath a jeep in the Istanbul international airport's parking garage and that a bomb squad destroyed the package.

CNN Turk said earlier that authorities discovered a vehicle full of explosives in the public garage, but officials denied that report.

In a separate incident, a suspicious package found beneath another vehicle was destroyed, but proved to be an empty box, CNN Turk also reported.

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ABC News Online - Confusion surrounds Istanbul airport bomb claims
Authorities have stepped up security in Istanbul, a city of more than 10 million people, conducting searches of pedestrians in public areas and searching people on the road to the airport.

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AIRWISE News - El Al Suspends Istanbul Flights
El Al, one of the world's most security-conscious airlines, suspended its Istanbul flights on Friday, stranding hundreds of passengers in both Israel and Turkey, the most popular tourist destination for Israelis.

Flights by other airlines on the Israel-Turkey route were not interrupted.

Israeli media said the dispute centered on a recent decision by Turkish authorities to limit the number of Israeli guards that may be posted at Istanbul Airport, the only Turkish city where El Al flies.

Israel Radio said that Israel's Shin Bet security service had recommended that El Al halt its flights to Istanbul unless the issue was resolved.

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REUTERS AlertNet - Militant groups in Turkey
KURDISTAN WORKERS PARTY (PKK or Kongra-Gel) - Founded in 1978 as a Marxist-Leninist insurgent group fighting for an independent Kurdish state. After the capture of its leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999, the guerrillas proclaimed a commitment to non-violence, but its armed wing was not disbanded and it recently called off its unilateral ceasefire.

REVOLUTION PEOPLE'S LIBERATION PARTY-FRONT (DHKP-C) - Formed in 1978 and also known as Dev Sol. It is the largest of Turkey's myriad far-left factions and is described by the U.S. State Department as "virulently anti-U.S., anti-NATO and anti-Turkish establishment". A Europe-wide security sweep in April targeted the Marxist-Leninist group, which has claimed responsibility for past suicide bomb attacks in Turkey.

GREAT EAST ISLAMIC RAIDERS-FRONT (IBDA-C) - The group has been active since the mid-1970s and is made up of Sunni Muslims who seek to create an Islamic state in Turkey. Last November, the group claimed joint responsibility with al Qaeda for two bombings at Istanbul synagogues and attacks on a British consulate and HSBC bank, although Turkish police were sceptical that IBDA-C had the resources to mount such attacks.

TURKISH HIZBULLAH - A group active in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast that seeks to establish an independent Islamic state in the region. It focused initially on killing PKK militants but since 2001 has targeted the Turkish state. According to the latest U.S. State Department report, it did not conduct a major operation in 2003 but is "probably attempting to reorganise".

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FOX News (AP) - Turks Deny Istanbul Airport Bomb
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Istanbul Gov. Muammer Guler on Friday denied news reports that an explosive-filled van had been found at the airport of Turkey's largest city.

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Aljazeera - Turkey bomb 'scare' ahead of NATO summit
"There is no such thing. We expect the media not to give exaggerated reports. We are now trying to find out where this story originated from," Guler told reporters, according to the Anatolia news agency.

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The Straits Times - Turkey calls for calm after blasts ahead of Bush visit
'No one should feel panic or fear,' national police spokesman Ramazan Er told a press conference.

'Our country has hosted many international meetings in previous years... and our own security forces took the security measures for them.'

'Events like the ones that were carried out in our country on Thursday take place from time to time in all the countries of the world.'

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Turkish Press - Turkish Police Identify Female Istanbul Bus Bomber
ISTANBUL (CIHAN) - The name of the woman carrying the bomb which exploded aboard a public bus in Istanbul yesterday, leaving 4 dead and 21 wounded, has been released.

The woman was officially identified as 29 year old Tunceli-born Semiran Polat in a statement issued by the Istanbul governor's office on Friday.

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Channel News Asia - Turkey blames deadly blast on wanted radical, holds 55 ahead of NATO summit
The governor did not name the group, but Turkish newspapers said she was a member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), an outlawed organisation listed as a terrorist group by the US and the European Union.

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