Istanbul, April 12 (IANS) Turkish security forces Tuesday busted an Al Qaeda cell in Istanbul and arrested 41 militants, including a rebel leader, Xinhua reported.

 
 Raids were conducted simultaneously in 50 different locations across the country, including Istanbul's Bagcilar, Esenler and Kartal districts. The police were assisted by special forces teams in the operations.
 
 Halis Bayancuk, the alleged leader of the Al Qaeda in Turkey, was among the militants detained.
 
 A local media report said that the Al Qaeda militants were planning an attack when they were apprehended.