ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) --Turkish authorities have detained three people in connection with near simultaneous bomb explosions near two Istanbul synagogues that killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 300.
"We don't know exactly who these people are, what they are suspected of and whether they're going to be charged," said journalist Andrew Finkel.
Authorities believe the Saturday attacks -- which rocked the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues and their busy neighborhoods as Jewish worshippers prayed at weekly Sabbath services -- were likely carried out by terrorists from outside the country, possibly al Qaeda.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said "it looks as if this is a terror attack which has international links."
But Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said it was too soon to tell. Investigators are "considering every possibility. Any organization could be behind this,” he said.
"Certainly the Turkish press, the Turkey government at an official level is pointing to al Qaeda as being responsible for these blasts," Finkel said.
On Saturday, Turkish media reported a claim of responsibility for the blasts from a radical Turkish Islamist group, the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front.
A steady stream of politicians has been visiting the Neve Shalom site Sunday. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom traveled from Jerusalem to pay his respects to the victims, which include at least six Jewish people.
After cutting short a visit to northern Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured the site Sunday afternoon, accompanied by the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Police investigators said the bombs were similar -- both contained potassium chloride and sodium nitrate -- and both were packed into station wagons that were parked near the synagogues.
"These were huge bombs," Finkel said. "They were designed to cause maximum devastation and loss of life."
Officials credited tight security around the buildings for keeping the bombers from inflicting more damage inside the synagogues. Many of the casualties were passers-by.
Outside one of the synagogues, a surveillance camera taped a man parking a station wagon in the street. Moments later, the vehicle exploded.
One bomb detonated about a meter from the Neve Shalom synagogue in the Kuledibi district, police told CNN Turk.
Witnesses told police a red pickup truck parked in front of shop across from Neve Shalom on a narrow street. A shop staffer approached the driver and told him he couldn't park there. The driver had gotten out of the car to talk to the employee when the blast detonated, leaving a crater seven feet deep below where the car had been.
Search for clues
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits injured man in hospital.
Authorities are continuing to comb through the debris for clues to who carried out the attacks.
Security at Neve Shalom has been high since it was the target of a deadly attack in 1986, blamed on a Palestinian militant group. And, because of terrorist fears, synagogues throughout Europe have been heavily fortified over the years.
Shattered glass littered the streets where many small shops are located, their facades destroyed.
The second car bomb detonated near Istanbul's Beth Israel Synagogue, about three miles away, in the Sisli district, and was equally devastating. The bombing at the rear of the building caused structural damage and started fires, which were swiftly extinguished.
The Jewish community in Turkey numbers about 25,000, in a predominantly Muslim country of 68 million.
Avi Alkas, Istanbul's Jewish community leader, called the blasts "a severe blow to our community," which lost six people, including an 8-year-old girl and her 85-year-old grandmother who were killed as they prayed in one of the synagogues.
Unlike other countries, there is no tradition of anti-Semitism in Turkey, where there has been a vibrant community over the centuries.
"We have always proved Islam and Judaism can live harmoniously in a peaceful manner, in a co-existence, Alkas said. "I do presume that these are coming from outside, not within the country."
World leaders condemn bombings
Soon after the attacks, President George W. Bush called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express his condolences, a senior administration official said. The president also expressed the best wishes of the United States for rapid recovery for the wounded, and both leaders reiterated their commitment to continuing to work together on the war on terrorism, the official said.
Bush condemned the attacks "in the strongest possible terms" in a city "where Turkey's diverse religious communities of Muslim, Jewish and Christian believers have flourished together for centuries."
"The focus of these attacks on Turkey's Jewish community, in Istanbul's synagogues where men, women and children gathered to worship God, remind us that our enemy in the war against terror is without conscience or faith," Bush said in a statement.
Secretary of State Colin Powell called Gul to extend condolences. Erdogan, on a visit to Cyprus, also condemned the attack.
Israel denounced the blasts, calling them "criminal terror attacks" and saying "terror is terror, whether it targets Jews or non-Jews." Israeli officials said that, prior to the blasts, they had heard of no specific threats against Turkey's Jewish community.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said it "has absolute faith and confidence that the security and law authorities know how to catch those responsible."
Turkey and Israel have maintained close trade and military links since 1948, when Turkey became the first Muslim country to recognize the Jewish state. Turkey has been a popular vacation destination for Israelis as well.
"This is really a time to say to the Turkish people that the people of Israel are with them at this very difficult hour," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said.
Israel and the United States offered to assist Turkey. Other nations, including France, Britain and Greece, decried the bombings.
Seventeen years ago, 22 people died when gunmen burst into the Neve Shalom synagogue and sprayed the congregation with gunfire during Sabbath services.
-- Journalist Andrew Finkel and CNN Turk's Kaya Heyse and Dicle Buharali in Istanbul, correspondents Sheila MacVicar and Chris Burns and producer Yoav Appel in Jerusalem, and White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux and producer Elise Labott in Washington contributed to this report.
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
Denotes premium content.
ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) --Turkish authorities have detained three people in connection with near simultaneous bomb explosions near two Istanbul synagogues that killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 300.
"We don't know exactly who these people are, what they are suspected of and whether they're going to be charged," said journalist Andrew Finkel.
Authorities believe the Saturday attacks -- which rocked the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues and their busy neighborhoods as Jewish worshippers prayed at weekly Sabbath services -- were likely carried out by terrorists from outside the country, possibly al Qaeda.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said "it looks as if this is a terror attack which has international links."
But Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said it was too soon to tell. Investigators are "considering every possibility. Any organization could be behind this,” he said.
"Certainly the Turkish press, the Turkey government at an official level is pointing to al Qaeda as being responsible for these blasts," Finkel said.
On Saturday, Turkish media reported a claim of responsibility for the blasts from a radical Turkish Islamist group, the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front.
A steady stream of politicians has been visiting the Neve Shalom site Sunday. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom traveled from Jerusalem to pay his respects to the victims, which include at least six Jewish people.
After cutting short a visit to northern Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured the site Sunday afternoon, accompanied by the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Police investigators said the bombs were similar -- both contained potassium chloride and sodium nitrate -- and both were packed into station wagons that were parked near the synagogues.
"These were huge bombs," Finkel said. "They were designed to cause maximum devastation and loss of life."
Officials credited tight security around the buildings for keeping the bombers from inflicting more damage inside the synagogues. Many of the casualties were passers-by.
Outside one of the synagogues, a surveillance camera taped a man parking a station wagon in the street. Moments later, the vehicle exploded.
One bomb detonated about a meter from the Neve Shalom synagogue in the Kuledibi district, police told CNN Turk.
Witnesses told police a red pickup truck parked in front of shop across from Neve Shalom on a narrow street. A shop staffer approached the driver and told him he couldn't park there. The driver had gotten out of the car to talk to the employee when the blast detonated, leaving a crater seven feet deep below where the car had been.
Search for clues
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits injured man in hospital.
Authorities are continuing to comb through the debris for clues to who carried out the attacks.
Security at Neve Shalom has been high since it was the target of a deadly attack in 1986, blamed on a Palestinian militant group. And, because of terrorist fears, synagogues throughout Europe have been heavily fortified over the years.
Shattered glass littered the streets where many small shops are located, their facades destroyed.
The second car bomb detonated near Istanbul's Beth Israel Synagogue, about three miles away, in the Sisli district, and was equally devastating. The bombing at the rear of the building caused structural damage and started fires, which were swiftly extinguished.
The Jewish community in Turkey numbers about 25,000, in a predominantly Muslim country of 68 million.
Avi Alkas, Istanbul's Jewish community leader, called the blasts "a severe blow to our community," which lost six people, including an 8-year-old girl and her 85-year-old grandmother who were killed as they prayed in one of the synagogues.
Unlike other countries, there is no tradition of anti-Semitism in Turkey, where there has been a vibrant community over the centuries.
"We have always proved Islam and Judaism can live harmoniously in a peaceful manner, in a co-existence, Alkas said. "I do presume that these are coming from outside, not within the country."
World leaders condemn bombings
Soon after the attacks, President George W. Bush called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express his condolences, a senior administration official said. The president also expressed the best wishes of the United States for rapid recovery for the wounded, and both leaders reiterated their commitment to continuing to work together on the war on terrorism, the official said.
Bush condemned the attacks "in the strongest possible terms" in a city "where Turkey's diverse religious communities of Muslim, Jewish and Christian believers have flourished together for centuries."
"The focus of these attacks on Turkey's Jewish community, in Istanbul's synagogues where men, women and children gathered to worship God, remind us that our enemy in the war against terror is without conscience or faith," Bush said in a statement.
Secretary of State Colin Powell called Gul to extend condolences. Erdogan, on a visit to Cyprus, also condemned the attack.
Israel denounced the blasts, calling them "criminal terror attacks" and saying "terror is terror, whether it targets Jews or non-Jews." Israeli officials said that, prior to the blasts, they had heard of no specific threats against Turkey's Jewish community.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said it "has absolute faith and confidence that the security and law authorities know how to catch those responsible."
Turkey and Israel have maintained close trade and military links since 1948, when Turkey became the first Muslim country to recognize the Jewish state. Turkey has been a popular vacation destination for Israelis as well.
"This is really a time to say to the Turkish people that the people of Israel are with them at this very difficult hour," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said.
Israel and the United States offered to assist Turkey. Other nations, including France, Britain and Greece, decried the bombings.
Seventeen years ago, 22 people died when gunmen burst into the Neve Shalom synagogue and sprayed the congregation with gunfire during Sabbath services.
-- Journalist Andrew Finkel and CNN Turk's Kaya Heyse and Dicle Buharali in Istanbul, correspondents Sheila MacVicar and Chris Burns and producer Yoav Appel in Jerusalem, and White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux and producer Elise Labott in Washington contributed to this report.
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
Denotes premium content.
ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) --Turkish authorities have detained three people in connection with near simultaneous bomb explosions near two Istanbul synagogues that killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 300.
"We don't know exactly who these people are, what they are suspected of and whether they're going to be charged," said journalist Andrew Finkel.
Authorities believe the Saturday attacks -- which rocked the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues and their busy neighborhoods as Jewish worshippers prayed at weekly Sabbath services -- were likely carried out by terrorists from outside the country, possibly al Qaeda.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said "it looks as if this is a terror attack which has international links."
But Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said it was too soon to tell. Investigators are "considering every possibility. Any organization could be behind this,” he said.
"Certainly the Turkish press, the Turkey government at an official level is pointing to al Qaeda as being responsible for these blasts," Finkel said.
On Saturday, Turkish media reported a claim of responsibility for the blasts from a radical Turkish Islamist group, the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front.
A steady stream of politicians has been visiting the Neve Shalom site Sunday. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom traveled from Jerusalem to pay his respects to the victims, which include at least six Jewish people.
After cutting short a visit to northern Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured the site Sunday afternoon, accompanied by the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Police investigators said the bombs were similar -- both contained potassium chloride and sodium nitrate -- and both were packed into station wagons that were parked near the synagogues.
"These were huge bombs," Finkel said. "They were designed to cause maximum devastation and loss of life."
Officials credited tight security around the buildings for keeping the bombers from inflicting more damage inside the synagogues. Many of the casualties were passers-by.
Outside one of the synagogues, a surveillance camera taped a man parking a station wagon in the street. Moments later, the vehicle exploded.
One bomb detonated about a meter from the Neve Shalom synagogue in the Kuledibi district, police told CNN Turk.
Witnesses told police a red pickup truck parked in front of shop across from Neve Shalom on a narrow street. A shop staffer approached the driver and told him he couldn't park there. The driver had gotten out of the car to talk to the employee when the blast detonated, leaving a crater seven feet deep below where the car had been.
Search for clues
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits injured man in hospital.
Authorities are continuing to comb through the debris for clues to who carried out the attacks.
Security at Neve Shalom has been high since it was the target of a deadly attack in 1986, blamed on a Palestinian militant group. And, because of terrorist fears, synagogues throughout Europe have been heavily fortified over the years.
Shattered glass littered the streets where many small shops are located, their facades destroyed.
The second car bomb detonated near Istanbul's Beth Israel Synagogue, about three miles away, in the Sisli district, and was equally devastating. The bombing at the rear of the building caused structural damage and started fires, which were swiftly extinguished.
The Jewish community in Turkey numbers about 25,000, in a predominantly Muslim country of 68 million.
Avi Alkas, Istanbul's Jewish community leader, called the blasts "a severe blow to our community," which lost six people, including an 8-year-old girl and her 85-year-old grandmother who were killed as they prayed in one of the synagogues.
Unlike other countries, there is no tradition of anti-Semitism in Turkey, where there has been a vibrant community over the centuries.
"We have always proved Islam and Judaism can live harmoniously in a peaceful manner, in a co-existence, Alkas said. "I do presume that these are coming from outside, not within the country."
World leaders condemn bombings
Soon after the attacks, President George W. Bush called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express his condolences, a senior administration official said. The president also expressed the best wishes of the United States for rapid recovery for the wounded, and both leaders reiterated their commitment to continuing to work together on the war on terrorism, the official said.
Bush condemned the attacks "in the strongest possible terms" in a city "where Turkey's diverse religious communities of Muslim, Jewish and Christian believers have flourished together for centuries."
"The focus of these attacks on Turkey's Jewish community, in Istanbul's synagogues where men, women and children gathered to worship God, remind us that our enemy in the war against terror is without conscience or faith," Bush said in a statement.
Secretary of State Colin Powell called Gul to extend condolences. Erdogan, on a visit to Cyprus, also condemned the attack.
Israel denounced the blasts, calling them "criminal terror attacks" and saying "terror is terror, whether it targets Jews or non-Jews." Israeli officials said that, prior to the blasts, they had heard of no specific threats against Turkey's Jewish community.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said it "has absolute faith and confidence that the security and law authorities know how to catch those responsible."
Turkey and Israel have maintained close trade and military links since 1948, when Turkey became the first Muslim country to recognize the Jewish state. Turkey has been a popular vacation destination for Israelis as well.
"This is really a time to say to the Turkish people that the people of Israel are with them at this very difficult hour," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said.
Israel and the United States offered to assist Turkey. Other nations, including France, Britain and Greece, decried the bombings.
Seventeen years ago, 22 people died when gunmen burst into the Neve Shalom synagogue and sprayed the congregation with gunfire during Sabbath services.
-- Journalist Andrew Finkel and CNN Turk's Kaya Heyse and Dicle Buharali in Istanbul, correspondents Sheila MacVicar and Chris Burns and producer Yoav Appel in Jerusalem, and White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux and producer Elise Labott in Washington contributed to this report.
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
Denotes premium content.
ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) --Turkish authorities have detained three people in connection with near simultaneous bomb explosions near two Istanbul synagogues that killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 300.
"We don't know exactly who these people are, what they are suspected of and whether they're going to be charged," said journalist Andrew Finkel.
Authorities believe the Saturday attacks -- which rocked the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues and their busy neighborhoods as Jewish worshippers prayed at weekly Sabbath services -- were likely carried out by terrorists from outside the country, possibly al Qaeda.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said "it looks as if this is a terror attack which has international links."
But Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said it was too soon to tell. Investigators are "considering every possibility. Any organization could be behind this,” he said.
"Certainly the Turkish press, the Turkey government at an official level is pointing to al Qaeda as being responsible for these blasts," Finkel said.
On Saturday, Turkish media reported a claim of responsibility for the blasts from a radical Turkish Islamist group, the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front.
A steady stream of politicians has been visiting the Neve Shalom site Sunday. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom traveled from Jerusalem to pay his respects to the victims, which include at least six Jewish people.
After cutting short a visit to northern Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured the site Sunday afternoon, accompanied by the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Police investigators said the bombs were similar -- both contained potassium chloride and sodium nitrate -- and both were packed into station wagons that were parked near the synagogues.
"These were huge bombs," Finkel said. "They were designed to cause maximum devastation and loss of life."
Officials credited tight security around the buildings for keeping the bombers from inflicting more damage inside the synagogues. Many of the casualties were passers-by.
Outside one of the synagogues, a surveillance camera taped a man parking a station wagon in the street. Moments later, the vehicle exploded.
One bomb detonated about a meter from the Neve Shalom synagogue in the Kuledibi district, police told CNN Turk.
Witnesses told police a red pickup truck parked in front of shop across from Neve Shalom on a narrow street. A shop staffer approached the driver and told him he couldn't park there. The driver had gotten out of the car to talk to the employee when the blast detonated, leaving a crater seven feet deep below where the car had been.
Search for clues
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits injured man in hospital.
Authorities are continuing to comb through the debris for clues to who carried out the attacks.
Security at Neve Shalom has been high since it was the target of a deadly attack in 1986, blamed on a Palestinian militant group. And, because of terrorist fears, synagogues throughout Europe have been heavily fortified over the years.
Shattered glass littered the streets where many small shops are located, their facades destroyed.
The second car bomb detonated near Istanbul's Beth Israel Synagogue, about three miles away, in the Sisli district, and was equally devastating. The bombing at the rear of the building caused structural damage and started fires, which were swiftly extinguished.
The Jewish community in Turkey numbers about 25,000, in a predominantly Muslim country of 68 million.
Avi Alkas, Istanbul's Jewish community leader, called the blasts "a severe blow to our community," which lost six people, including an 8-year-old girl and her 85-year-old grandmother who were killed as they prayed in one of the synagogues.
Unlike other countries, there is no tradition of anti-Semitism in Turkey, where there has been a vibrant community over the centuries.
"We have always proved Islam and Judaism can live harmoniously in a peaceful manner, in a co-existence, Alkas said. "I do presume that these are coming from outside, not within the country."
World leaders condemn bombings
Soon after the attacks, President George W. Bush called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express his condolences, a senior administration official said. The president also expressed the best wishes of the United States for rapid recovery for the wounded, and both leaders reiterated their commitment to continuing to work together on the war on terrorism, the official said.
Bush condemned the attacks "in the strongest possible terms" in a city "where Turkey's diverse religious communities of Muslim, Jewish and Christian believers have flourished together for centuries."
"The focus of these attacks on Turkey's Jewish community, in Istanbul's synagogues where men, women and children gathered to worship God, remind us that our enemy in the war against terror is without conscience or faith," Bush said in a statement.
Secretary of State Colin Powell called Gul to extend condolences. Erdogan, on a visit to Cyprus, also condemned the attack.
Israel denounced the blasts, calling them "criminal terror attacks" and saying "terror is terror, whether it targets Jews or non-Jews." Israeli officials said that, prior to the blasts, they had heard of no specific threats against Turkey's Jewish community.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said it "has absolute faith and confidence that the security and law authorities know how to catch those responsible."
Turkey and Israel have maintained close trade and military links since 1948, when Turkey became the first Muslim country to recognize the Jewish state. Turkey has been a popular vacation destination for Israelis as well.
"This is really a time to say to the Turkish people that the people of Israel are with them at this very difficult hour," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said.
Israel and the United States offered to assist Turkey. Other nations, including France, Britain and Greece, decried the bombings.
Seventeen years ago, 22 people died when gunmen burst into the Neve Shalom synagogue and sprayed the congregation with gunfire during Sabbath services.
-- Journalist Andrew Finkel and CNN Turk's Kaya Heyse and Dicle Buharali in Istanbul, correspondents Sheila MacVicar and Chris Burns and producer Yoav Appel in Jerusalem, and White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux and producer Elise Labott in Washington contributed to this report.
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
Denotes premium content.
ISTANBUL, Turkey (CNN) --Turkish authorities have detained three people in connection with near simultaneous bomb explosions near two Istanbul synagogues that killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 300.
"We don't know exactly who these people are, what they are suspected of and whether they're going to be charged," said journalist Andrew Finkel.
Authorities believe the Saturday attacks -- which rocked the Neve Shalom and Beth Israel synagogues and their busy neighborhoods as Jewish worshippers prayed at weekly Sabbath services -- were likely carried out by terrorists from outside the country, possibly al Qaeda.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said "it looks as if this is a terror attack which has international links."
But Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said it was too soon to tell. Investigators are "considering every possibility. Any organization could be behind this,” he said.
"Certainly the Turkish press, the Turkey government at an official level is pointing to al Qaeda as being responsible for these blasts," Finkel said.
On Saturday, Turkish media reported a claim of responsibility for the blasts from a radical Turkish Islamist group, the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front.
A steady stream of politicians has been visiting the Neve Shalom site Sunday. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom traveled from Jerusalem to pay his respects to the victims, which include at least six Jewish people.
After cutting short a visit to northern Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured the site Sunday afternoon, accompanied by the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Police investigators said the bombs were similar -- both contained potassium chloride and sodium nitrate -- and both were packed into station wagons that were parked near the synagogues.
"These were huge bombs," Finkel said. "They were designed to cause maximum devastation and loss of life."
Officials credited tight security around the buildings for keeping the bombers from inflicting more damage inside the synagogues. Many of the casualties were passers-by.
Outside one of the synagogues, a surveillance camera taped a man parking a station wagon in the street. Moments later, the vehicle exploded.
One bomb detonated about a meter from the Neve Shalom synagogue in the Kuledibi district, police told CNN Turk.
Witnesses told police a red pickup truck parked in front of shop across from Neve Shalom on a narrow street. A shop staffer approached the driver and told him he couldn't park there. The driver had gotten out of the car to talk to the employee when the blast detonated, leaving a crater seven feet deep below where the car had been.
Search for clues
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits injured man in hospital.
Authorities are continuing to comb through the debris for clues to who carried out the attacks.
Security at Neve Shalom has been high since it was the target of a deadly attack in 1986, blamed on a Palestinian militant group. And, because of terrorist fears, synagogues throughout Europe have been heavily fortified over the years.
Shattered glass littered the streets where many small shops are located, their facades destroyed.
The second car bomb detonated near Istanbul's Beth Israel Synagogue, about three miles away, in the Sisli district, and was equally devastating. The bombing at the rear of the building caused structural damage and started fires, which were swiftly extinguished.
The Jewish community in Turkey numbers about 25,000, in a predominantly Muslim country of 68 million.
Avi Alkas, Istanbul's Jewish community leader, called the blasts "a severe blow to our community," which lost six people, including an 8-year-old girl and her 85-year-old grandmother who were killed as they prayed in one of the synagogues.
Unlike other countries, there is no tradition of anti-Semitism in Turkey, where there has been a vibrant community over the centuries.
"We have always proved Islam and Judaism can live harmoniously in a peaceful manner, in a co-existence, Alkas said. "I do presume that these are coming from outside, not within the country."
World leaders condemn bombings
Soon after the attacks, President George W. Bush called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express his condolences, a senior administration official said. The president also expressed the best wishes of the United States for rapid recovery for the wounded, and both leaders reiterated their commitment to continuing to work together on the war on terrorism, the official said.
Bush condemned the attacks "in the strongest possible terms" in a city "where Turkey's diverse religious communities of Muslim, Jewish and Christian believers have flourished together for centuries."
"The focus of these attacks on Turkey's Jewish community, in Istanbul's synagogues where men, women and children gathered to worship God, remind us that our enemy in the war against terror is without conscience or faith," Bush said in a statement.
Secretary of State Colin Powell called Gul to extend condolences. Erdogan, on a visit to Cyprus, also condemned the attack.
Israel denounced the blasts, calling them "criminal terror attacks" and saying "terror is terror, whether it targets Jews or non-Jews." Israeli officials said that, prior to the blasts, they had heard of no specific threats against Turkey's Jewish community.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said it "has absolute faith and confidence that the security and law authorities know how to catch those responsible."
Turkey and Israel have maintained close trade and military links since 1948, when Turkey became the first Muslim country to recognize the Jewish state. Turkey has been a popular vacation destination for Israelis as well.
"This is really a time to say to the Turkish people that the people of Israel are with them at this very difficult hour," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said.
Israel and the United States offered to assist Turkey. Other nations, including France, Britain and Greece, decried the bombings.
Seventeen years ago, 22 people died when gunmen burst into the Neve Shalom synagogue and sprayed the congregation with gunfire during Sabbath services.
-- Journalist Andrew Finkel and CNN Turk's Kaya Heyse and Dicle Buharali in Istanbul, correspondents Sheila MacVicar and Chris Burns and producer Yoav Appel in Jerusalem, and White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux and producer Elise Labott in Washington contributed to this report.
