Newsman: A bomb explosion in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday killed six people, wounded several dozen. Turkish President Recep Tayyip 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. Ptesident Erdogan, who left Sunday for the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, said six people were killed. Vice President Fuat Oktay put the wounded toll to 81, with two in serious condition, and also said it appeared to be a terrorist attack.
Turkish authorities claim to have identified the perpetrator of Sunday’s explosion on Istanbul’s best-known commercial street that killed at least six people and injured 81 others. A suspect is in custody related to an explosion that killed at least six people and injured at least 81 others in Istanbul on Sunday, Turkey’s interior ministry said early Monday.
The incident has been deemed a terrorist attack, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Sunday, according to state news agency Anadolu.
“We consider it to be a terrorist act as a result of an attacker, whom we consider to be a woman, detonating the bomb,” Oktay told reporters Sunday.
The blast on Istiklal Avenue that leads to the iconic Taksim Square, a pedestrian avenue left panic to the people to flee the fiery blast or huddle in cafes and shops.
Istanbul police released a statement on their official Twitter account saying the bomber had been identified as a Syrian woman named Ahlam Albashir.
The statement says that during interrogation, the woman admitted she received her orders from the PYD, Syria’s Democratic Union Party, which Turkey views as the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a group Turkey has been battling for decades.
The PKK denied any involvement in the attack and said it does not attack civilians, in a statement.
The statement goes on to say that 46 other individuals were also detained for questioning about any possible role they may have had in the attack.
Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu briefed reporters on the latest developments — including the capture and detention of the bomber.
In his remarks, Soylu condemned countries who he said harbor terrorist groups. He specifically named the United States, saying getting a condolence message from Washington was like “a killer being the first to show up at a crime scene.” The U.S. has supported Kurdish groups in Syria over the past decade as they’ve battled the Islamic State, which has long been a source of disagreement with Turkey.
Turkey’s Interior Minister repeated Erdogan’s pledge to bring those responsible to justice — and to deal a harsh blow to those engaging in terrorism against the country and its citizens.
Turkey has also condemned Sweden for allegedly supporting terror groups.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told pro-government broadcaster A Haber that investigators were focusing on a woman who sat on a bench by the scene of the blast for about 40 minutes. The explosion took place just minutes after she left. He said her identity was not yet clear, nor was it clear what group might be behind the attack.
Police on Sunday said they had identified 25 social media users who shared “provocative content” that could fall afoul of that law.
On New Year’s Day in 2017, a gunman shot and killed 39 people at a nightclub. Almost 80 others were also injured. In 2003, a series of suicide bombings was carried out using trucks at four locations in the city.
The U.S. condemned the explosion, describing it as an act of violence in a statement issued by the White House press secretary.
“We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our NATO Ally,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in the news release.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday noted that the Istanbul attack came exactly seven years after Islamic State extremists killed 130 people at Paris cafes, the Bataclan theater and France’s national stadium.
“On such a symbolic day for our nation, as we are thinking of the victims who fell Nov. 13, 2015, the Turkish people were hit by an attack on their heart, Istanbul,” Macron said. “To the Turks: We share your pain. We stand at your side in the fight against terrorism.”
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