21 Jews Slain in Synagogue Raid : 2 Men Spray Worshipers With Machine-Gun Fire in Istanbul

Two masked gunmen stormed into one of Istanbul’s oldest synagogues Saturday and sprayed automatic weapons fire on Sabbath worshipers, killing at least 21 Jews and burning the bodies with gasoline before blowing themselves up, police and Interior Ministry officials said.

Four people were hospitalized with wounds, and four others escaped unharmed. Hospital officials said later that one of the wounded had died, but that could not be confirmed.

Interior Minister Yildrim Akbalut did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but he told a news conference that one of the gunmen had shouted in Arabic as the shooting started.

In a flurry of telephone calls received in several Middle Eastern locations, a variety of groups claimed responsibility for the attack, but none of the claims were verifiable.

Day After Hijacking

The raid on Istanbul’s Neve Shalom Synagogue, which had just been reopened after months of renovation, followed by one day the seizure of a Pan American World Airways passenger jet in Karachi, Pakistan, by Arab gunmen. There was no indication if the hijacking, which left at least 16 people dead, was connected with the synagogue attack.

The attack brought swift condemnation and expressions of outrage.

The U.S. government condemned the “cowardly attack” and said it deplored the “terrible loss of life.” An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed “deep anger, shock and outrage at the senseless murder of innocent Jews while praying.”

An official at the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul condemned the attack, saying: “We know from the history of Israel the Holocaust, and this was just like (that). . . . The Bible full of bullets and blood. They were helpless. They did nothing. This is the problem of the Jewish people.”

“This is an outrageous, barbaric act,” said Avram Albohagre, the synagogue’s general secretary.

Turkish Interior Minister Akbalut told the news conference that Turkey “condemns such terrorist acts, as a country which has suffered more than most from terrorism.” He called on all countries to join together to combat terrorism.

Stormed Through Gate

According to police and eyewitness accounts pieced together during the day, the two gunmen stormed the synagogue at 9:20 a.m. through the main entrance, an iron gate where one of the congregation was greeting arriving worshipers.

A Turkish journalist gave Israeli radio a slightly different account:

“They entered the synagogue, and one of them approached the religious leader, and speaking in Hebrew, told him that they are Israeli journalists. They came to Istanbul, to the synagogue, to write a report . . . on the reopening of the synagogue. And after that, he took out a camera from his bag in order to show him that he’s a journalist.” Then the gunmen produced automatic machine pistols and opened fire, the journalist said.

However, police sources said the gunmen were wearing black sweat shirts, running shoes and masks. Once inside the main chamber of the synagogue, they opened fire with their machine pistols, which were later found to be of Czech manufacture.

Some of the worshipers, who were mostly in their 60s and 70s, tried to flee into an adjoining room, but the attackers followed them and shot them down. Then they set the bodies on fire with gasoline.

According to the authorities, the gunmen then returned to the center of the synagogue and set off three hand grenades.

From the condition of the terrorists’ bodies, it appeared that they had intentionally blown themselves up. Blood was splattered on the white plaster ceiling of the building some 40 feet above the floor.

“When the shooting began, we all threw ourselves on the floor. I pretended to be dead,” said 17-year-old Rafi Saul, whose father, a doctor, was killed.

“Briefly, I lifted my head to see what they were doing and saw them pouring gasoline on bodies to burn them,” Saul told the Anatolia News Agency.

Bibles With Bullet Holes

The attack created a scene of devastation in the synagogue. Hours after the attack, the scene was still littered with blood-soaked yarmulkes and prayer shawls, and Bibles with bullet holes.

Rows of seats, similar to the old flip-down wooden chairs once used in American movie theaters, were in disarray. Only a few of the lights on the huge brass chandelier were still lit, but a menorah candlestick on the wall burned on.

The dead included the congregation’s rabbi, Yuda Adoni, according to the Turkish news agency.

Three women who were observing the service from a second floor balcony escaped unharmed.

Among those claiming responsibility for the attack were:

--A caller claiming to speak for the “Palestine Revenge Organization.” He told a news agency in Nicosia, Cyprus, that “we will continue our struggle against the enemy and imperialists all over the world. There will be more attacks of a similar nature. . . . Revenge for our martyrs.”

--The “Islamic Resistance,” which told news agencies in Beirut that the attack was carried out in retaliation for the “aggression committed by the gangs of the Israeli Army” against Shia Muslim villages in southern Lebanon. Islamic Resistance is a code name used by the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, or Party of God, which has carried out attacks against Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.

--The Islamic Jihad, or Islamic Holy War, the pro-Iranian organization that claimed responsibility for blowing up the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and claims to hold three Americans hostage in Lebanon.

--A caller representing the “North Arab Unity Organization,” who telephoned Turkish news agencies, saying: “This is just the start.”

In Tunisia, the Palestine Liberation Organization issued a statement denying involvement in the massacre. The PLO said it condemned “the massacre of innocents--even if it concerns Jews.”