Turkey

Turkey: Two Bombings in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet

Date: August 22nd, 2006 |

Two bombs in two days exploded in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet neighborhood, home to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. Three Turks were injured, one seriously, in the first blast, and no one was hurt in the second. Both were believed to be percussion bombs. No one has claimed responsibility for t [read more]

Turkey: Taxi Scams in Istanbul

Date: June 14th, 2006 |

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The recent news about crooked taxi drivers at New York’s JFK airport being caught fleecing non-English-speaking foreigners is certainly not news in Istanbul. Taxi drivers here have a well-developed method for cheating non-Turkish speakers. With a combination of feigned agitation, sleight-of-hand and foreigners’ lack of familiarity with local currency, the crooks toss back the money [read more]

Turkey: Clashes in Southeast, Bombing in Istanbul

Date: April 4th, 2006 |

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A week of clashes between security forces and sympathizers of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey caused several deaths in Diyarbakir, a main transit point to the Turkey-Iraq border. The violence could spill over to other provinces in the southeast. The U.S. State Department restricts the travel of its personnel in these areas, [read more]

Turkey: Bird Flu Present in Nine Provinces

Date: January 17th, 2006 |

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Bird flu has been confirmed in 18 human cases with three deaths in Dogubeyazit in Agri province near the eastern border. Eight other provinces have had human cases, with four of these cases confirmed as H5N1 bird flu by a World Health Organization lab in London. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission and authorities [read more]

Turkey: Another Bombing in Aegean Tourist Region

Date: July 20th, 2005 |

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The second bombing in less than a week in an Aegean tourist area has locals and visitors on edge. The July 16 bombing of a bus carrying tourists to the beach in Kusadasi killed five, including a British man and an Irish woman. The bomb was reportedly planted by a young woman who got off [read more]

Turkey: Terror Campaign Coverup?

Date: July 4th, 2006 |

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An explosion at a popular restaurant at a waterfall in Manavgat June 25 was officially blamed on an exploding gas cylinder, but a press investigation revealed that security cameras caught a team of three attackers placing a bomb in a bin 20 minutes before the blast. The news raised concerns that authorities in Antalya are [read more]

Turkey: Demonstrations, Bombings, Warning to Tourists

Date: April 18th, 2006 |

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Demonstrations have taken place in Istanbul following unrest in the southeastern regions of the country, and small-scale bombings have occurred around the city, most recently on April 16 in the suburb of Bakirkoy on the European side of the city. The bombing took place in a busy street lined with cafes and restaurants. Thirty-one people [read more]

Turkey: Bombings in Istanbul

Date: February 14th, 2006 |

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Two bombs in four days exploded in Istanbul, one in a crowded supermarket and another in an internet café frequented by police. A hard-line Kurdish group called the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Organization claimed responsibility for both bombings. One person died in the café and fifteen in the supermarket bombing. An email from the organization said [read more]

Turkey: Anti-American Threat

Date: September 6th, 2005 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Ankara reported receiving information of a �hostile and anti-American nature.� The information contained no specific threat, but given the general threat of terrorism against U.S. interests and citizens in the Middle East and elsewhere, and the recent bombings at Turkish beach resorts, the information should not be d [read more]

Turkey: Bombing in Tourist Town

Date: July 13th, 2005 |

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A bomb exploded in a trash can in the tourist town of Cesme, some 44 miles from Izmir, injuring ten people July 10. No one claimed responsibility for the blast, but authorities are concerned that the Kurdish group PKK may be responsible. The PKK is considered a terrorist group by the U.S. and E.U., and [read more]