Six suspected al-Qaeda members in custody

ADANA - Doğan News Agency

Adana Gov Hüseyin Avni Coş speaks to reporters in the southern province. DHA photo

Law enforcement officials in the southern province of Adana have taken at least six alleged al-Qaeda members into custody as part of operations conducted across a number of provinces in Turkey.

“Legal proceedings are underway. Relevant information is going to be [made public] when the process runs its due course. There is no need to be alarmed, anxious or go into panic. Six people were detained, but there could be more,” Adana Gov. Hüseyin Avni Coş told reporters yesterday.

Officials began questioning the six suspects at the Adana Police Headquarters. Only one of the suspects who were detained by anti-terror police was actually located in Adana, while the remaining suspects were all taken under custody in other provinces, according to reports.

Coş also brushed aside allegations that the detainees, dubbed the “Serdar Gülşen Group,” were plotting to poison the local drinking water supply in the province following the assassination of Osama Bin Laden.
“[We] have obtained no information that could unnerve our citizens. There is no situation that could upset the public. Relevant offices have already taken measures. May our citizens be assured,” he said. The operation was planned in Adana in tandem with authorities in other provinces, Coş said.