Terrorist admits to have planned attack on Turkish president

Alparslan Arslan, the radical Islamist who attacked Turkey’s top administrative court in May 2006, killing one judge and injuring four others, admitted during a court hearing Thursday (July 26th) that he had planned more assaults — including one on President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. Arslan, a 30-year-old lawyer, said the attack was a reaction to court rulings upholding a ban on the Islamic headscarf in public offices and universities.In other news, the UNHCR criticised Turkey on Thursday over its decision to forcibly return 135 Iraqis to their country, even though some may have been seeking asylum. The group was intercepted in early July as part of a larger group of illegal immigrants en route to Europe.