Turkey has detained 10 people with suspected links to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Among those arrested was a lawyer who identified himself as the leader of the group in Turkey.

The official Anatolia news agency said Saturday the suspects were detained in simultaneous operations begun in November in the capital, Ankara, Istanbul and the western city of Izmir.

Turkey has suffered several attacks blamed on al-Qaida. In November 2003, more than 60 people were killed in bombings of two synagogues, the British Consulate and a bank office in Istanbul.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.