Police arrest al-Qaeda members with us consulate building plan, explosives

In a counterterrorism operation carried out by the Tekirdag Police Department on Wednesday, 11 al-Qaeda members were captured with 22 kilograms of A4 explosives, after reportedly planning to stage terrorist attacks on targets in Istanbul, including the US Consulate, a synagogue and a church. According to Tekirdag police, a person suspected of being an al-Qaeda member had been tracked by police for two years. During this period, police found out that a group of al-Qaeda members had cell houses in the Corlu district of Tekirdag and the Buyukcekmece district of Istanbul. After Tekirdag police discovered that suspects had obtained a large amount of explosives in mid-February, an operation was launched against the terrorist group. Police raided nine houses in Corlu and two in Buyukcekmece. A total of 11 people were captured with 22 kilograms of A4 explosives, five rifles, five handguns and maps showing the detailed location of the US Consulate in Istanbul along with a church and a synagogue in Istanbul's Fatih district.