Police have detained a suspect believed to have planted the bomb that went off on a busy Istanbul pedestrian avenue, Turkey’s interior minister said on Monday, adding that initial findings indicate Kurdish militants were responsible for the deadly attack.
Six people were killed and dozens injured in the blast on Sunday on Istiklal Avenue, a popular thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants that leads to the iconic Taksim Square.
“A while ago, the person who left the bomb was detained by our Istanbul Police Department teams,” Anadolu Agency quoted Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu as saying. He did not identify the suspect, but said 21 other people were also detained for questioning.
Sunday’s explosion was a shocking reminder of the anxiety and concern for security that plagued the Turkish population during the years when such attacks were common. The country was hit by a series of deadly attacks between 2015 and 2017, some by the Islamic State group, others by Kurdish militants seeking greater autonomy or independence.
The minister said evidence obtained pointed to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and its Syrian extension, the Democratic Union Party, or PYD. He said that the attack would be avenged.
“We know what message those who have carried out this action want to give us. We have received this message,” Soylu said. “Don’t worry, we’ll pay you back more than enough in return.”
Soylu also blamed the United States, saying a condolence message from the White House was akin to a “murderer being the first to appear on a crime scene.” Turkey has been enraged by US support for Syrian Kurdish groups.
He said security forces believe the instructions for the attack came from Kobani, the Kurdish-majority city in northern Syria that borders Turkey.
In its message of condolences, the White House said it strongly condemned the “act of violence” in Istanbul, adding: “We stand shoulder to shoulder with our NATO ally (Turkey) in the fight against terrorism.”
Soylu said that of the 81 people who were hospitalized, 50 were discharged. Five of the injured were receiving urgent care and two of them were in danger of dying, she said.
The PKK has been waging an insurgency in Turkey since 1984. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since then.
Ankara and Washington consider the PKK a terrorist group but disagree on the issue of Syrian Kurdish groups, which have fought the Islamic State group in Syria.
In recent years, Turkish President Erdogan has led a broad crackdown on militants, as well as Kurdish lawmakers and activists. Amid soaring inflation and other economic woes, Erdogan’s anti-terror campaign is a key foothold for him ahead of next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
Following attacks between 2015 and 2017 that killed more than 500 civilians and security personnel, Turkey launched cross-border military operations in Syria and northern Iraq against Kurdish militants, while cracking down on Kurdish politicians, journalists and activists at home. .
“In almost six years we have not experienced a terrorist incident as serious as the one last night in Istanbul. We are ashamed before our nation in this regard,” Soylu said.
On Sunday, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told pro-government broadcaster A Haber that investigators were focusing on a woman who sat on a bench next to the blast site for about 40 minutes. The explosion occurred a few minutes after she had left.
Information of: israel hayom
Photo credits: PA
