Police seize Turkish Qaeda leader - report

ISTANBUL, Dec 9 (Reuters) Turkish police have detained a lawyer who admitted he was the leader of al Qaeda in Turkey, Anatolian News Agency reported today.

Nine other suspects were also held.

Police seized bomb-making material and a compact disc set to explode when inserted into a computer -- the first time Turkish police had got hold of such a device -- the state-run agency said.

They also found maps of an oil refinery owned by the Tupras group in the house, the agency said.

Police could not confirm the report.

CNN Turk said the leader was a 25-year-old lawyer and two of the suspects were also members of the Great Islamic Eastern Warriors Front (IBDA-C), Anatolian said.

That group claimed joint responsibility with al Qaeda for two bombings at Istanbul synagogues and attacks on a British consulate and the HSBC bank in November 2003, in which more than 60 people were killed.

IBDA-C, on the European Union's terrorist list, is made up of Sunni Muslims seeking to create an Islamic state in Turkey.

The police swoop in Istanbul, Ankara and the western province of Izmir came after a year-long investigation and was carried out at the end of November, when Pope Benedict was visiting Turkey, private television NTV reported.

But no plans or information were found to suggest an attack was planned against the Pope, whose historic trip to Turkey was his first official visit to a Muslim country and was seen as a bid to improve relations between Christians and Muslims.

NTV had earlier this month reported several al Qaeda-linked detentions during the Pope's visit, without giving details.

Mainly Muslim but secular Turkey has arrested several al Qaeda suspects in recent years.

Reuters AB GC1715