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Turkish police find van packed with explosives |
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Written by International Herald Tribune
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Tuesday, 11 September 2007 16:26 |
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The Turkish police found a van packed with an explosive chemical in a multi-story parking lot in the capital city of Ankara on Tuesday, the city's top official said.
The Mercedes van was found by bomb-sniffing dogs as part of heavy security measures in Ankara on the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, the local governor, Kemal Onal, said at a televised news conference. "The meticulous work by the police prevented a possible disaster," Onal said.
Onal declined to give more information on the device, but NTV, a privately owned television station, reported that officials from the bomb squad had found about 660 pounds, or 300 kilograms, of sodium nitrate, a chemical fertilizer that becomes explosive if mixed with other chemicals.
The police cordoned off a 3-mile, or 4.8-kilometer, area and emptied buildings nearby as fire brigades and ambulances stood by, according to news reports. Cellphone service in the neighborhood was temporarily disabled to prevent the bomb from being detonated by remote control, NTV reported.
The use of the large van, which was reported stolen about a week ago, recalled two coordinated attacks in Istanbul in 2003.
On Nov. 11, 2003, vehicles loaded with explosives rammed into two synagogues; a week later, similar attacks were made on an HSBC bank and the British Consulate. More than 60 people were killed and hundreds were wounded.
Six Turks and a Syrian, said to have links to Al Qaeda, were convicted and jailed for life in Istanbul for involvement in the attacks. Kurdish separatists have also carried out bombings in Turkey.
Sept. 12 is another important anniversary in Turkey, of the military coup of 1980.
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