become targets of anti-Western violence, after suicide bombings at the British consulate and the HSBC based bank in Istanbul killed 27 people and injured over 400 others.
The American director of Inter-National Needs Network (IN), Rody Rodeheaver, said his staff in Turkey is "keeping a low profile," as Western governments warned that Thursday’s attacks could be followed by more acts of terrorism.
"That is always a struggle in these types of countries–Christianity being tied to America and the West. So, our staff have to work hard at overcoming that and these kinds of events trigger some of those kinds of feelings," he told Mission Network News (MNN), a Christian broadcaster.
SUSPECTS
Turkey, seen by Washington as one of its closest NATO allies, said Friday, November 21, it would hunt down those responsible, saying it had arrested several suspects.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters the investigation into the blasts is making progress and that "some people have been arrested," adding it was "too early to give more information about them."
One usually reliable Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet, said seven people were arrested in conjunction with Thursday’s attacks.
The paper added that police believe the two car bombers were Turkish nationals as well as close associates of suicide bombers who attacked two Istanbul synagogues Saturday, Nov. 15, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.
GOSPEL
Those attacks killed 25 people and wounded more than 300. Despite the violence, IN’s Rodeheaver said his organization would continue with its main mission: to encourage local Christians to spread the Gospel of Christ through different means including community development.
"We’ve been seeing in Turkey a lessening of the regulations, and a lessening of the pressures there, with more freedom being given for the Gospel to have opportunities to reach out, " he told MNN.
Turkey has come under international pressure to improve its human rights and religious rights record, at a time when it seeks membership of the European Union.
