ISTANBUL BOMB OUTRAGE

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21370, 14 March 1941, Page 4

ISTANBUL BOMB OUTRAGE

Whoever was responsible for the explosion in the luggage of the British Minister and staff on their arrival at Istanbul from Sofia, it was a senseless and murderous act that is bound to react to the detriment of the Axis and its friends. It is almost certain that the bombs were placed in the luggage before it was moved from Sofia, in which case Bulgarians or Axis agents are presumed to be responsible. Six persons were killed, including some Turks, and 30 were injured. The incident is certain to rouse Turkish feeling against Bulgaria, and the outrage may therefore prove to be a disastrous blunder. It is difficult to imagine that such a ghastly plot should have official backing, and yet the circumstances are decidedly suspicious. For instance, on his arrival in Turkey the British Minister, Mr George Rendel, took occasion to remark upon the courtesy he had received at the hands of the Bulgarians. -At the frontier he was even spared the annoyance of having his luggage searched by the Customs officials. That may, of course, be merely a coincidence, and because the luggage belonged to a high diplomatic official the fact was unlikely at the time to cause surprise. The Customs officials, even if they are entirely innocent, are at least placed in an awkward predicament. The most casual inspection must have disclosed the presence of bombs sufficiently powerful to cause such havoc.

The opinion is that the bombs were timed to explode in the train, in which case it was probably hoped the blast would obliterate all clues to the cause. The enemy could scarcely hope that the explosion would occur in Turkey, for there is no desire at the present time to rouse the enmity of the Turks. The bombs missed their mark, the British Minister, but their reverberations will probably be heard for some time. The perpetrators are unlikely to be able to claim that their crime served the cause of the enemies of Britain. It is also claimed that other attempts were made to wreck the train by which Mr Rendel and his staff travelled. It is possible that someone desired that Mr Rendel should not escape from Bulgaria with the intimate information which he possesses regarding Bulgaria’s dealings with Germany.