For saturday morning my initial plan was buying a new 6V battery for my rechargable projector which I keep in the Rangie. And then attend a meeting with new rescue volunteers in the marina at 11:00

The Neve Shalom Synagogue is on one of the old parts of the city where the electrical appliances and accessories shops are. I planed to leave home at around 08:30 and get there at 09:10 do the shopping till 10:00 and go to marina for meeting at 11:00.

But on friday night my son fell asleep on our bed and I just did not want to bother them and tried to sleep on the couch. I couldn't so I began reading BCD papers to take notes for the meeting. It was after 05:00 in the morning that I could sleep. I woke up at 07:30 and felt lazy to leave early and then decided to stay home till 10:30 and go to buy the battery after the meeting. At 09:25 right 20-25 meters away from where I would be a 800 lbs bomb exploded in a vehicle right in front of the synagogue. I could have been there. Lucky?? Yes I am.

It is not a local job, beyond the scope of the ones here. Same method with first bombing of WTC, Oklohoma, Riyadh and some in Baghdad. Fertilizer and TNT. S..t bomb we call. 2/3 of the dead and wounded also are muslims. With the Jewish people we have no problems here. Turkey is one of the best loved countries by the Jews for the last 500 years. It is also Ramadan here. No religion in this. It is surely a cell job. Prepared long ago and triggered short while ago I assume. They just waited for the political correct time.

On the preparedness side: Two Synagogues have been bombed at the same time. One is in the middle of a busy electrical market and the other in between apartment buildings. People have been evacuated from their houses and still cannot go into their houses or shops due to forensic reasons and damage. They are out on the street for the last 48 hours. Two people died a few blocks away from the explosions just becuse they thought it was an earthquake and jumped out of the window and crash landed on a parking car. Life is interesting nowadays and I am very angry and very sorry.

Burak