Twenty persons were killed when car bombs went off simultaneously near two synagogues in Istanbul on Saturday, officials said.

The first explosion went off outside the Neve Shalom synagogue, the city's largest. The second took place at the
Beth Israel synagogue in Sisli.

Over 150 persons were injured in the blasts which occurred when people had gathered in the two places for prayers. Most of the casualties occurred at the Neve Shalom synagogue. A private television network showed footage of the wreckage of a car and a huge crater in front of the building.