Police in Turkey warn of possible attacks against churches, synagogues

The warning comes a week after a suicide bombing at a main shopping center in Istanbul killed three Israelis in what is believed to have been a targeted attack,

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(JTA) — Police in Turkey have warned of possible Islamic State attacks over the weekend against churches and synagogues.

A nationwide police alert on Sunday listed the possible targeting of the Jewish and Christian sites, according to Turkish media reports. Consulates and embassies also were told to stay on high alert.

The warning comes a week after a suicide bombing at a main shopping center in Istanbul killed three Israelis and one Iranian national. Turkish media later reported that the bomber targeted an Israeli tour group.

The Islamic State has been blamed for four of six bombing attacks in Turkey in the past eight months, the English-language Turkish news service Hurriyet Daily News reported.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart that his country is “ready to cooperate with Israel against terrorism.”

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