Syrian Accused of Planning 2003 Attacks
A Syrian was charged with masterminding suicide bombings in 2003 that killed 58 people in Istanbul, and Turkish prosecutors claimed that Osama bin Laden personally ordered him to carry out attacks.
Loai Mohammed Haj Bakr Saqa, 32, was accused of serving as a point man between Al Qaeda and homegrown militants behind the series of suicide bombings in Istanbul in 2003, said the indictment.
It said Saqa had given the militants in Turkey about $170,000.
Saqa had cosmetic surgery, according to a medical report, and operated by using an array of fake IDs and aliases even with Al Qaeda contacts, according to the indictment.
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