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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Seven jailed for Turkey bombings | Seven jailed for Turkey bombings |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| A court in Turkey has sentenced seven people to life in prison for the 2003 Istanbul bombings which killed 58 people including the UK consul-general. | A court in Turkey has sentenced seven people to life in prison for the 2003 Istanbul bombings which killed 58 people including the UK consul-general. |
| A Syrian, Loai al-Saqa, was jailed for masterminding and securing finance for the attacks on the UK consulate, two synagogues and an HSBC bank branch. | |
| The remaining six were Turkish citizens convicted of organising the bombings. | The remaining six were Turkish citizens convicted of organising the bombings. |
| A total of 74 people were tried - many received lighter sentences and 26 of them were acquitted. | A total of 74 people were tried - many received lighter sentences and 26 of them were acquitted. |
| As the verdicts were read out to a packed courtroom, several defendants shouted "God is great". | As the verdicts were read out to a packed courtroom, several defendants shouted "God is great". |
| The judge ruled that five of those sentenced to life, including Saqa, should not be allowed to benefit from any sentence reductions or amnesties. | The judge ruled that five of those sentenced to life, including Saqa, should not be allowed to benefit from any sentence reductions or amnesties. |
| 'High-level operative' | |
| The court was told that a group of men, calling themselves Warriors for Islam, came together to plan the attacks on the direct orders of Osama Bin Laden. | The court was told that a group of men, calling themselves Warriors for Islam, came together to plan the attacks on the direct orders of Osama Bin Laden. |
| In court, many of the defendants admitted attending training camps in Afghanistan for Islamic extremists - but all but one man denied any part in the Istanbul attacks. | |
| The UK consulate in Istanbul was one of the targetsHarun Ilhan, one of the men jailed for life, admitted plotting the bombings and being a member of al-Qaeda. | |
| Saqa - who had denied involvement in the attacks - was described by the state prosecutor as a high-level operative for al-Qaeda. | Saqa - who had denied involvement in the attacks - was described by the state prosecutor as a high-level operative for al-Qaeda. |
| "Hey my hero brothers! Do not worry for me. Victory is very near," Saqa said during final arguments. | "Hey my hero brothers! Do not worry for me. Victory is very near," Saqa said during final arguments. |
| Also sentenced to life in prison were Fevzi Yitiz - for helping to build the truck bombs - and Yusuf Polat, Baki Yigit, Osman Eken and Adnan Ersoz. | |
| Seyit Ertul was convicted of leading an al-Qaeda cell in the Turkish town of Konya and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. | |
| Hamid Obysi was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years for membership of al-Qaeda, bomb-making and producing false identity cards | |
| Twenty-nine people received sentences of six years and three months and 10 more were sentenced to three years and nine months for helping the bombings. | |
| UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett welcomed the verdicts. | UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett welcomed the verdicts. |
| "These were abhorrent acts, two of which specifically targeted British interests," she said. | "These were abhorrent acts, two of which specifically targeted British interests," she said. |