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CNN Live At Daybreak
Several People Have Been Arrested in Turkey
Aired November 21, 2003 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, in Turkey this morning, we're learning that several people have been arrested in connection with those two deadly massive explosions in Istanbul. Despite the attacks, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz says the attacks won't effect U.S. and British relationships with Turkey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: They not only have not succeeded in splitting us from Turkey, this kind of horrible act brings (UNINTELLIGIBLE) people closer. It has brought Turkish Muslims and Turkish Jews closer together and it brings Turkey and the United States and, for that matter, the United Kingdom and the entire civilized world closer together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Kind of hard to hear but he was basically saying the United States and Turkey have been brought closer together by this attack.
In another development, U.S. and British officials have issued a warning that more attacks are possible. The officials advise against travel to Turkey.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now from Istanbul with the latest from there -- good morning again, Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, there's been a lot of travel warnings to Turkey over the last 24 hours or so. The U.S., the U.K., Israel, Australia all saying that people shouldn't come to the city and other Turkish cities unless it was absolutely necessary.
The U.K. foreign minister, though, Jack Straw, has come to Istanbul. He arrived last night to have a look at the damage to the British consulate, which is just behind me. This is the back of the British consulate. We're not allowed around the front because there are forensic experts there at the moment sifting through the rubble, trying to find some clues as to who might have been behind these attacks.
Well, the U.K. foreign minister, Jack Straw, held a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, just a short time ago. Abdullah Gul confirmed that some people have been arrested in relation to the bombing. He was asked if seven people were arrested. That what was reports were saying. He said some people have been.
He also specified that they identified the two suicide bombers from Saturday's attacks on two synagogues here in the city within 48 hours. So he gave some inclination that maybe they would be able to find some identification of possible suicide bombers within that time frame.
Now, Jack Straw was saying that it is an attack on Turkey, but also an attack on the whole world. He said it's a global problem of terrorism and so it will be a global way of sorting it out. He insinuated that there would be a lot of increased cooperation between international communities to try and sort out the fight against terror. And he also said that the attacks did carry the hallmark of al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: What I said was that they appeared to be perpetrated, not that they were, but they appeared to be perpetrated by al Qaeda and its associates. But I, and I stand by that statement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: There's a national security council meeting of the Turkish official ministers later on this afternoon, about 2:00 p.m. local time. Now, they say that's not an emergency meeting. They do meet every two months or so. And they will be discussing extra security measures. They will be discussing the investigation, that's ongoing at the moment at the HSBC building four kilometers from here in the financial district. Forensics experts are trying to find any indications of who is responsible there, as well.
And so after that, the prime minister, Erdogan, the prime minister of Turkey will come down to Istanbul from Ankara, the capital, and he will visit the hospitals, visit those that have been injured. More than 450 injured at the moment -- Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much.
Paul Hancocks live in Istanbul.
For 24 hour news coverage of the bombings in Turkey, all you have to do is log onto our Web site at cnn.com. the AOL keyword is CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 21, 2003 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, in Turkey this morning, we're learning that several people have been arrested in connection with those two deadly massive explosions in Istanbul. Despite the attacks, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz says the attacks won't effect U.S. and British relationships with Turkey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: They not only have not succeeded in splitting us from Turkey, this kind of horrible act brings (UNINTELLIGIBLE) people closer. It has brought Turkish Muslims and Turkish Jews closer together and it brings Turkey and the United States and, for that matter, the United Kingdom and the entire civilized world closer together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Kind of hard to hear but he was basically saying the United States and Turkey have been brought closer together by this attack.
In another development, U.S. and British officials have issued a warning that more attacks are possible. The officials advise against travel to Turkey.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now from Istanbul with the latest from there -- good morning again, Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, there's been a lot of travel warnings to Turkey over the last 24 hours or so. The U.S., the U.K., Israel, Australia all saying that people shouldn't come to the city and other Turkish cities unless it was absolutely necessary.
The U.K. foreign minister, though, Jack Straw, has come to Istanbul. He arrived last night to have a look at the damage to the British consulate, which is just behind me. This is the back of the British consulate. We're not allowed around the front because there are forensic experts there at the moment sifting through the rubble, trying to find some clues as to who might have been behind these attacks.
Well, the U.K. foreign minister, Jack Straw, held a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, just a short time ago. Abdullah Gul confirmed that some people have been arrested in relation to the bombing. He was asked if seven people were arrested. That what was reports were saying. He said some people have been.
He also specified that they identified the two suicide bombers from Saturday's attacks on two synagogues here in the city within 48 hours. So he gave some inclination that maybe they would be able to find some identification of possible suicide bombers within that time frame.
Now, Jack Straw was saying that it is an attack on Turkey, but also an attack on the whole world. He said it's a global problem of terrorism and so it will be a global way of sorting it out. He insinuated that there would be a lot of increased cooperation between international communities to try and sort out the fight against terror. And he also said that the attacks did carry the hallmark of al Qaeda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: What I said was that they appeared to be perpetrated, not that they were, but they appeared to be perpetrated by al Qaeda and its associates. But I, and I stand by that statement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: There's a national security council meeting of the Turkish official ministers later on this afternoon, about 2:00 p.m. local time. Now, they say that's not an emergency meeting. They do meet every two months or so. And they will be discussing extra security measures. They will be discussing the investigation, that's ongoing at the moment at the HSBC building four kilometers from here in the financial district. Forensics experts are trying to find any indications of who is responsible there, as well.
And so after that, the prime minister, Erdogan, the prime minister of Turkey will come down to Istanbul from Ankara, the capital, and he will visit the hospitals, visit those that have been injured. More than 450 injured at the moment -- Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much.
Paul Hancocks live in Istanbul.
For 24 hour news coverage of the bombings in Turkey, all you have to do is log onto our Web site at cnn.com. the AOL keyword is CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
