Istanbul - 26 December 2003

1. Wide of street and police

2. Armoured police truck containing Harun Ilhan, alleged leader of al-Qaida in Turkey, moving along road

3. Harun Ilhan walks while handcuffed

4. Cutaway of police

5. Close shot of Harun Ilhan

6. Wide of Neveshalom synagogue covered in white plastic wrap

7. Various of Harun Ilhan talking to police

8. Midshot of police

FILE: Istanbul - Recent

9. Various of interior shots of damage to Neveshalom Synagogue after bomb attack

Istanbul - 26 December 2003

10. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Muammer Guler, Governor of Istanbul:

"We don't have a particular name as far as a structuring is concerned. It is made up of people who have been trained and educated abroad. But the organisation with the international connection is al-Qaida, that we know for sure."

11. Cutaway of presser

12. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Muammer Guler, Governor of Istanbul :

"We know that any future terrorist attack has been prevented. Our efforts so far have proved that all the connections within the organisation have been destroyed. Therefore there is no need to be afraid or panic."

13. Various shots of confiscated materiel, including plastic explosives (RDX) and weaponry

Istanbul's governor said on Friday that police dismantled a group of al-Qaida militants in Turkey accused of suicide bombings that killed 62 people in Istanbul last month. But he said five or seven leading members were at large abroad.

Authorities have captured most of the alleged militants and seized about 500 kilogrammes (1,100 pounds) of explosives, including the military explosive RDX, according to Governor Muammer Guler who spoke at a news conference.

Istanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah said the seized explosives were enough to make three or four truck bombs.

Guler said police also discovered more details about last month's attacks, which targeted two synagogues, a London-based bank and the British Consulate.

He said "all dimensions of the attacks from the planning to activating have been exposed by the Istanbul police. They were carried out by the elements of al-Qaida who were trying to create a structure in Turkey."

Guler said about 160 people have been detained and 35 of them have been charged for involvement in the bombing so far. Ten other suspects, including a key member identified as Harun Ilhan, were expected to face charges later on Friday.

Guler, however, said five or seven leading members of al-Qaida's structure in Turkey were at large and were believed to be abroad.

News reports have suggested that some members could be in Iraq, but Guler said it wasn't clear where they were.

But Guler said the group accused of the bombings was no longer a threat.

It was not clear whether there were any other alleged al-Qaida cells operating in Turkey.

Guler said al-Qaida had been organising in Turkey for the past year or two. He said most suspected members who were detained underwent training in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Along with the explosives that were found, police seized five assault rifles, more than one-thousand rounds, 12 shotguns, three guns and two single-shot "pen guns" during the raids, according to a police statement.

Guler said Turkish security forces were still taking security measures for New Year's Eve as usual. A leaked police document earlier this week warned that terrorists may be planning attacks at against US, Israeli and eastern targets in Turkey in the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve.