Hotels bombed
The week's news at a glance.
Istanbul
Militants bombed two small hotels and a gas plant in Istanbul this week, killing at least two people. The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, a group linked to al Qaida, claimed responsibility on its Web site, saying, “Istanbul is the opening for the bloody war we promised the Europeans.” Turkish officials, however, suspected Kurdish militants, who recently announced that they would target the Turkish tourist industry. Abu Hafs has made dubious claims in the past, such as insisting that it was behind last summer’s blackouts in the U.S.
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