The Meir Amit Intelligence and Information Center has issued a report detailing statements by key parts of the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network denouncing the killing of Osama Bin Laden as “American terrorism.” According to the report:
Turkish Islamist organizations at a press conference convened at the Re?adiye Hotel in Istanbul to denounce the killing of Osama bin Laden. An IHH representative denounced ‘American terrorism,’ saying that killing bin Laden was clearly an illegal act (Photo from the verfecr.com website). The banner reads ‘We condemn American terrorism.’ Third from the left is identified as Osman Atalay, the IHH representative who denounced the United States. Overview
1. The Turkish IHH, which plays a central role in organizing the upcoming flotilla to the Gaza Strip (Freedom Flotilla 2), joined other Turkish Islamist organizations in denouncing the killing of Osama bin Laden by the Americans. On May 5 the organizations convened a press conference at a hotel in an Istanbul suburb and issued a joint statement denouncing the United States. Osman Atalay, the IHH representative (who participated in the Mavi Marmara flotilla) said that killing bin Laden had been clearly illegal, and called for the condemnation of ‘American terrorism.’
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The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) has recently published an almost hundred page report titled “Turkey, the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and the Gaza Flotilla” which provides extensive background on the years leading up to the flotilla and that includes profiles on both IHH and an organization known as Mazlum Der, headed by Osman Atalay. The JCPA report abstract states:
There is strong evidence for Turkish governmental involvement in the Gaza flotilla incident, with Turkish government support channeled through the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network. Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood. The IHH was not acting alone but rather was an integral part of a Turkish Muslim Brotherhood network.
With respect to the Global Muslim Brotherhood, report’s second conclusion states:
The Gaza flotilla incident brought into sharp focus an even more significant long- term development: the growing relationship between the Erdogan government and the Global Muslim Brotherhood, which has given rise to some of the most notorious Islamist terrorist groups – from al-Qaeda to Hamas. Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood, while the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip acted as the main axis for this activity