Three killed in attack on Bible publisher

"Attackers on Wednesday slit the throats of three people, including a German citizen, and caused one other to jump off a building which houses a Turkish publishing house which printed bibles, security officials said."

"The injured person, who is fighting for survival in a Malatya hospital, apparently jumped off the building to escape the attackers.

Security officials said four people had been detained in connection with the attack in the southeastern city of Malatya. Televised images showed police wrestling one man to the ground and leading several young men out of the building, apparently in handcuffs."

"Some Turkish nationalists take Christian missionaries to be enemies of the country working to undermine Turkey's political and religious institutions. Nationalists had previously protested outside the Zirve publishing house in Malatya, accusing it of proselytizing, news reports said. An official from the publishing house told local television that they had received threats over its publications."

"The government and other officials in Turkey have in the past criticized Christian missionary work here while the European Union, which Turkey hopes to join, has called for more freedom for the tiny Christian minority."
TODAY'S ZAMAN