The Al Qaida operatives were said to have been trained abroad, including
Afghanistan and Iraq. Officials said one of the cells specialized in
the production of explosives and sought to recruit operatives.
    Officials said the Al Qaida network smuggled compact disks on
military training and Islamic indoctrination. They said operatives developed
an underground educational system that sought to generate young recruits.
    In addition, the Istanbul cell established its own Islamic legal system,
officials
said. They said the Al Qaida activity reflected the movement's deep roots in
Turkey.
    "The discovery of a parallel jihadi society also sheds some light on the
indoctrination and socialization strategies used by Al Qaida," the
Washington-based Jamestown Foundation said. "This underscores the growing
threat of home-grown jihadi terrorism within Turkey."
    Most of the Al Qaida commanders were identified as Turks trained in
Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. Officials said they returned to Turkey to
establish operational and sleeper cells as well as to raise funds.
    "They are between the age of 30 and 35 and were carrying identity cards
showing them as Afghan refugees," a Turkish intelligence official said.
    So far, Turkey launched two major operations against Al Qaida in
2008. In January, Turkish forces arrested 25 members of Al Qaida in
Gaziantep and Kahramanmaras in an operation in which four operatives and a
police officer were killed. Officials said the cell had been planning to
attack Israeli and U.S.
interests in Turkey.
    Jamestown, however, said Turkey does not regard Al Qaida as a primary
threat. Instead, Ankara cited the Kurdish Workers Party as the leading
insurgency danger.
    "Nevertheless, despite the two recent police operations, the government
seems unwilling to take a strong stance against Islamist terrorism for
political, diplomatic and military reasons," the report said. "This could be
a strategic mistake. If Al Qaida takes roots in Turkey, it could not only
affect Turkey's security, but also endanger Ankara's candidacy to the
European Union."