ISTANBUL, Aug 10: A Turkish court on Wednesday arrested a Syrian man on charges of belonging to Al Qaeda, while a second Syrian suspected of involvement in deadly bombings in Istanbul in 2003 is being questioned by police, officials and media reports said.

The first suspect, identified as 21-year-old Hamed Obysi, was arrested by a court in Istanbul after being questioned by anti-terror police, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

He was detained in the southern Mediterranean province of Antalya, the agency said.

A second Syrian, suspected of involvement in the deadly bombings in Istanbul in November 2003, which were blamed on the Al Qaeda network, was expected to appear before court on Thursday after he was appointed a lawyer, police said.

Luai Sakra, 32, was detained late Saturday in Diyarbakir, in southeastern Turkey, with forged Turkish identity documents, according to court documents.

He was brought to Istanbul for questioning on Sunday.

The two Syrians were apprehended as part of the same operation, launched upon the discovery of two forged passports in a flat in Antalya, Anatolia said.

Suicide bombers detonated explosive-laden trucks outside two synagogues in Istanbul on November 15, 2003, and the British consulate and the British-based HSBC bank five days later, killing a total of 63 people.—AFP