January 14, 2014 | Quote

Turkish Organization Behind ‘Mavi Marmara’ Raided in Anti-al-Qaida Sweep

Turkish police arrested at least 23 people on Tuesday as part of raids against al-Qaida targets, including the offices of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).

Police raided IHH offices in the southern city of Kilis, which borders Syria, and detained one person.

IHH was behind the Mavi Marmara flotilla that sought to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip in May 2010. Israel Navy commandos boarded the ship, were attacked, and killed nine of the attackers.

“Recent reports of the Turkish military intercepting an alleged IHH weapons truck on the Syrian border was an indication that the flotilla charity was being targeted,” Jonathan Schanzer, vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

“There has long been ample reason to believe the group was tied to Hamas, al-Qaida, and other terror groups in Syria,” he said.

Schanzer believes that the recent raids, coming amid a flurry of arrests against people close to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his AK Party, are a another heavy blow to the prime minister.

“IHH is largely viewed as a state-sponsored NGO,” he said.

Read the full article here.

Issues:

Al Qaeda Palestinian Politics Turkey