Turkey Arrests 50 Suspected al-Qaida-Linked Militants

Turkish police have detained at least 50 suspected al-Qaida-linked militants in raids across nine provinces.

Local media say the militants, thought to be members of a group (the Islamic Jihad League) tied to al-Qaida, were planning attacks against U.S., Israeli and NATO targets in Turkey.

They say the suspects may have had contact with al-Qaida's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, and may have been trained in Afghanistan.

Turkey's Hurriyet daily says police Thursday seized an unlicensed gun, documents, CDs and laptops during a search of homes and offices of suspected al-Qaida members in the eastern province of Van.