Turks arrest man in synagogue bombing inquiry

Turkish police have arrested a man they say ordered and helped plan a suicide bomb attack on an Istanbul synagogue earlier this…

Turkish police have arrested a man they say ordered and helped plan a suicide bomb attack on an Istanbul synagogue earlier this month.

The suspect was arrested with a false identification while trying to pass across Turkey's border to Iran, Istanbul Deputy Police Chief Halil Yilmaz said in televised comments.

The bombing of the Beth Israel synagogue was one of four truck bomb attacks on British and Jewish targets in Istanbul earlier this month that killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds.

"He went to the Beth Israel synagogue area with the other attackers on the day of the explosion and gave the order for the attack," Mr Yilmaz said.

READ MORE

Turkish police and prosecutors accompanied the unidentified man to the site of the ruined synagogue earlier today, Mr Yilmaz said. He was among six people handed over to Istanbul's State Security Court.

Turkish courts have charged more than 20 people they say are linked to the attacks.

Opens in new window ]