15 injured by Turkish bicycle bomb

[epoh]

 

Goeie donner, waar gaan dit eindig! Ons het verkeer om oor te worry hulle het suicide fietsryers om oor te worry

 

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/12/turkey.izmir.ap/index.html

 

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A homemade bomb left on a bicycle

exploded at a market in the Aegean port city of Izmir on Saturday,

injuring 15 people, the governor said.

The blast occurred one day

before hundreds of thousands of secular Turks were expected to march in

the city against the Islamic-rooted government's attempts to raise the

profile of Islam in the country.

Governor Cahit Kirac appealed

for calm. Izmir's mayor, Aziz Kocaoglu, said he did not think there was

any connection between the attack and the planned demonstration.

The

blast occurred at a market in the Bornova district of Izmir in the

morning as vendors were setting up their stalls. One of the injured had

a serious wound in the ankle, authorities said.

The blast shattered the windows of several houses and car windshields.

Police

were searching for a suspect who allegedly left the bicycle at the

scene. Witnesses reported seeing a blue nylon bag on the bicycle, the

state-run Anatolia news agency said.

There was no indication of

who might be behind the attack. Kurdish, leftist and radical Islamic

groups have carried out bombings in Turkey in the past.

Political

tensions are high in the country after secular lawmakers blocked the

election of a president from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's

Islamic-rooted party, out of fear the nation's secularism would be

undermined.

Erdogan's government declared early general elections

in July. Parliament on Thursday amended the constitution to allow the

Turkish people -- rather than legislators -- to elect the president.

However, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer could veto the measure or call

for a referendum on it.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, whose bid

for the presidency was blocked in the standoff over religion in

politics, hinted Friday that he might revive his candidacy in any

direct election by voters. Doing so would likely trigger further

tensions over the presidency.

The powerful military, which has

ousted four governments since 1960, has strongly warned the government

against radical Islamic activities in the country and said it remains

the "absolute defender" of the secular system.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

epoh2007-05-12 04:57:03

[FanieFiets]

donner, my ma is in Turkye vir 'n vakansie......

[shaunh]

BigH, where exactly have you been the last couple of days???!!!!!

[shaunh]

Please explain how you REALLY hurt your Groot Toon???!!!