Turkey — A Turkish court on Thursday charged a suspected al-Qaida militant with plotting to use a speedboat packed with explosives to attack Israeli cruise ships off this nation's Mediterranean coast.
The suspect, identified by police as a Syrian national, shouted to reporters as he was being escorted from the courthouse that he had wanted to carry out the assault on tourists but insisted that he was acting alone.
"I wanted to attack Israeli ships in the open seas without harming Turkish civilians," he said. "I have no regrets."
No reporters were allowed in the courtroom, and it was not immediately clear whether he entered a plea.
The court ordered his arrest on additional charges of membership in an illegal organization.
The suspect, identified in Turkish media as Louai Sakra, 32, has denied he was a member of the al-Qaida terrorist network.
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