Highlights
- Istanbul authorities have arrested the accused in Sunday’s bombing
- According to interior minister, the accused is a female who detonated the bomb
- At least 6 people were killed and over 80 wounded after blast rocked busy Istanbul street
Istanbul Bombing: Turkish authorities have arrested the person responsible for the Istanbul bombing in which 6 people were killed and over 80 wounded after an explosion hit a busy city street on Sunday evening, informed the interior minister.
Turkish news agency Anadolu quoted Turkey’s Vice-President as saying, “blast considered a terrorist act, female attacker detonated the bomb.”
The Turkish minister accused Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for the attack saying Erdogan’s opponents are indicted so that they are excluded from the Presidential elections.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called explosion on main street in Istanbul an “attack” after a bomb rocked a bustling pedestrian avenue in the heart of Istanbul.
Emergency vehicles were rushed to the scene on Istiklal Avenue, a popular thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants that leads to the iconic Taksim Square.
In one video posted online, a loud bang could be heard and a flash seen as pedestrians turned and ran away.
Erdogan called the blast a “treacherous attack” and said its perpetrators would be punished.
He did not say who was behind the attack but said it had the “smell of terror” without offering details and also adding that was not certain yet.
Sunday’s explosion was a shocking reminder of the anxiety and safety concerns that stalked the Turkish population during years when such attacks were common.
The country was hit by a string of deadly bombings between 2015 and 2017, some by the Islamic State group, others by Kurdish militants who seek increased autonomy or independence.
In recent years, Erdogan has led a broad crackdown on the militants as well as on Kurdish lawmakers and activists.
Amid skyrocketing inflation and other economic troubles, Erdogan’s anti-terrorism campaign is a key rallying point for him ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next year.
Erdogan had left Sunday for the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia.
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