Man says al-Qaida financed bombings

ANKARA, Turkey — A man charged with helping organize last month’s suicide bombings in Istanbul has confessed that al-Qaida gave militants $150,000 to carry out the attacks, local media reported Saturday.

Adnan Ersoz’s confession, which newspapers said had been leaked by police sources, would be the first time a suspect in the attacks has admitted al-Qaida financed the bombings that killed 62 people.

Ersoz, believed to be a senior member of al-Qaida in Turkey, was charged Friday with an offense amounting to treason. Police believe he was a link between the terror network and suicide bombers.

Ersoz told police an Iranian sent him $50,000 by courier, and he later contacted Habip Aktas, the head of al-Qaida in Turkey, to get another $100,000 for the attackers, the newspapers reported.

"I followed the necessary financing for attacks, which I thought would be carried out against U.S. targets," Hurriyet quoted Ersoz as telling to interrogators.

The truck bombings blew up two synagogues Nov. 15 and the British Consulate and a London-based bank in Istanbul five days later.

In court, Ersoz had denied advanced knowledge of the attacks or that he had received orders from Osama bin Laden, the Anatolia news agency reported. He did admit in court to receiving military training in Afghanistan in 1997, and said he met with bin Laden in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2001, Anatolia reported.

Authorities had earlier said Ersoz told interrogators that he and Aktas had met with bin Laden in Kandahar before the Sept. 11 attacks, and they had decided to attack Turkey’s southern Incirlik Air Base, used by the U.S. military. But tight security apparently made them change their target.

Ersoz was detained Monday as he entered the country at Istanbul’s airport.

Hurriyet said Turkish police had persuaded Ersoz to fly to Istanbul from Iran and surrender. Police had learned from another captured militant, Fevzi Yitiz, that Ersoz regretted his role since most of those killed were Muslim Turks. Yitiz and Ersoz met in Tehran after the attacks, police said.

The newspapers said Ersoz wanted to take advantage of a government amnesty that benefits those who give information about illegal organizations to authorities.

Meanwhile, Turkish police, acting on a request from the FBI, reportedly have asked flight schools across the country to turn over a list of people who have undergone pilot training up until Dec. 24, Hurriyet reported Saturday.