Posted on 11/05/2001 9:03:25 AM PST by kattracks
ANKARA, Turkey, Nov 05, 2001 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Turkey will try 12 Islamic militants, some of whom attempted to travel to Afghanistan to fight against the United States, on charges of radical Islamic activities, police officials said Monday.
The defendants belong to the banned Islamic group Selefiler of the Wahhabi movement which originated in Saudi Arabia and has served as an inspiration for Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.
Police Chief Ali Kalkan of southeastern Gaziantep city said some group members have left Turkey to join a holy war or "jihad" in Afghanistan against the United States. The men were responding to a call by bin Laden's al-Qaida network, he said.
"We caught five of them when they returned from Iran after failing to proceed further," said Kalkan. "Ten others are believed to be either in Iran or may have already reached Afghanistan."
The arrests were made in a raid on a house in Gaziantep two weeks ago. Seven other suspected members of the group were also detained.
The group members were being monitored by police in a crackdown on radical Islam and attracted authorities' attention when some of them suddenly disappeared.
"We learned that they left to fight a jihad against the United States in Afghanistan," Kalkan said.
The 12 defendants will be tried for involvement in radical Islamic activities, which is a crime in predominantly Muslim but fiercely secular Turkey. Prosecutors have released all but one pending trial.
No trial date has been set yet.
The Selefiler was formed in Istanbul more than 10 years ago with the aim of replacing Turkey's secular government with an Islamic state.
Based on a literal translation of the Quran, Wahhabism rejects mysticism and any veneration of saints or their tombs. The puritanical movement, originating in Saudi Arabia, has also served as an inspiration for some Chechen rebels fighting for independence from Russia, and it has alarmed secular officials across the former Soviet Union.
Members of the group have in the past been arrested for arson attacks on government-owned depots that stock alcohol and on trucks carrying beer as well as for carrying arms. Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol.
By SELCAN HACAOGLU Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2001 Associated Press, All rights reserved
I find it interesting that these guys were unable to get any further than Iran, which of course shares a thousand-mile border with Afghanistan.
It would seem that Iran is helping out quietly, in an understated way.
Members of the group have in the past been arrested for arson attacks on government-owned depots that stock alcohol and on trucks carrying beerThat alone should be reason enough to spank'em..
I'm suprised that they'd try to enter from Iran in the first place. Iran hates the taliban about as much as they hate us.Perhaps for reasons of stupidity?
Welcome aboard FreeRepublic :)
Welcome aboard FreeRepublicThanks, it's good to be here.
It seems like the US and Great Britain need a few lessons in how to forestall a jihadist takeover.Lesson number one. You have the freedom to say those things agreeable:) for there's always room for one more on the shit list.
I hope it is soon to become a crime here, but I'm not holding my breath.
Or smoke a doobie.
Hey, we're supposed to be going back to living our normal lives. If FR stops having drug policy flame wars, the terrorists win! ;-)
The Turks, the Persians and the Arabs have always detested each other, so there is little new here. Wahhabism is Arabic in origin, and that alone puts it on the slate of things to be eradicated in Turkey.
The secular approach in Turkey is embraced by a small but powerful elite. The power situation reminds me a great deal of the last years of the Shah of Iran. Putting our eggs in this basket is a huge mistake, but there is little to choose from in dealing with the Muslim world. It is bizarre in the extreme that Turkey is the best hope the West has for dealing with Islam. But there we are.
The best PR move the Turkish government could make would be to bring the Armenians they slaughtered back from the dead. But genocide cannot be reversed, and since the Turks deny the genocide took place, there is no hope for repenting and reconciling.
The secular approach in Turkey is embraced by a small but powerful elite.In reality, less than 20% vote for the religious party.
The best PR move the Turkish government could make would be to bring the Armenians they slaughtered back from the dead.Those unfortunate incidents happened before the founding of the Republic of Turkey. Let's leave history to the historians.
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