Turkey Arrests Istanbul's al-Qaida Chief

Al-Qaida's leader in Istanbul was among a group of around 40 people detained by police Tuesday in a series of raids targeting Islamists in Turkey's largest city, media reports said.

The security forces made the arrests in raids on some 50 locations in Istanbul, the NTV news channel said, adding that the suspects included the leader of al-Qaida in the city, although he was not named.

There were raids in other cities as well which saw followers of Turkish Hizbullah detained, according to Anatolia news agency.

The group, which has no known links to its Lebanese namesake, is listed by Ankara as a terrorist organization that seeks to replace Turkey's secular system with a hardline Islamic regime.

The Turkish police regularly target suspected al-Qaida supporters since two sets of twin suicide bombings hit Istanbul five days apart in November 2003.

A Turkish cell of al-Qaida was held responsible for the attacks, in which explosive-laden trucks first targeted two synagogues, and then the British consulate and a British bank, killing a total of 63 people, including the British consul.

Seven men were jailed for life in 2007 over the bombings, among them a Syrian national who masterminded and financed the attacks.