Anti-Israel protest in Turkey
Photo: Reuters
Turk suspected of planning to kill rabbis
Young man arrested in Istanbul after threatening local synagogue. He denies allegations, but admits 'I hate Jews'
Turkish police have arrested a young man on suspicion of planning to murder rabbis in Istanbul, Turkish daily Milliyet reported Friday. According to the report, the man has already been indicted.
The arrest came on the backdrop of the serious diplomatic crisis
between Israel
and Turkey, which began during the Israeli operation in Gaza and peaked following the deadly Navy raid
on a Gaza-bound flotilla, which prompted Ankara to recall its ambassador in Tel Aviv and sever ties with Israel.
The man, a resident of the eastern city of Kars, was arrested by the police's counter-terrorism forces. He told his investigators that he "hates Jews" but denied all allegations.
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However, Turkish leaders have stressed all along that their only problem was with the Israeli government, not with its citizens or with Jews.
Ismet Rençber, a 20-year-old resident of the eastern city of Kars, was arrested by counter-terrorism forces upon his arrival in Istanbul. According to the report, the arrest was made possible thanks to an anonymous threat he had written to a synagogue in the city.
Rençber, who was arrested on Wednesday, told his investigators that he "hates Jews" but denied that he had planned to kill leaders of Turkey's 20,000-member Jewish community. The Istanbul Police declined to make a comment on the affair.
According to the Turkish report, the young man was charged and was being held at a prison in Istanbul.
