The suspected Al Qaeda members, already convicted in absentia over the attacks, were detained in Istanbul, the statement said, without giving names.

The Anatolia news agency said the suspects had been convicted either for being members of Al Qaeda or aiding and abetting the radical network.

Suicide drivers detonated truck bombs at two Istanbul synagogues on November 15, 2003, and at the British consulate and a British bank five days later, killing a total of 63 people, including the British consul, and leaving hundreds injured.

A Turkish cell of Al Qaeda was held responsible for the attacks.

Seven men were jailed for life in 2007, among them a Syrian national who masterminded and financed the attacks, while some 20 others received lesser sentences for their involvement in the bombings.