Davutoglu was speaking after a briefing on the deadly terror attack with Turkey’s Interior Minister Efkan Ala, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu, Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin, Mayor Kadir Topbas, and Chief of the Istanbul Police Department Mustafa Caliskan.
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On Wednesday, Davutoglu contended that in addition to the Islamic State group, other forces he did not identify were behind Tuesday’s attack and were using the extremist group as a “pawn”.
Earlier, Turkey’s interior minister had announced the arrest of another person.
“Turkey will continue to punish with even greater force any threat that is directed against Turkey or its guests”, Davutoglu said.
Davutoglu praised the German group’s Turkish guide who, according to the Hurriyet newspaper, yelled “run” after seeing the bomber standing among the tourists and pulling a pin on his explosives, enabling some of them to get away.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Wednesday travel advice will be adjusted “when we know more about the background to the crime, particularly the background of the perpetrator” and what his motive was.
De Maiziere said: “I see no reason to refrain from traveling to Turkey”. De Maiziere visited the site of the attack and then conferred with Turkish officials, which was followed by a press conference. The nearby police lodgings were also attacked. Turkish police later arrested three Russians and authorities said on Thursday the army had killed nearly 200 Islamic State militants in response to the blast.
Police have identified the suicide bomber, Davutoglu told journalists in Istanbul but did not supply a name.
The victims of Tuesday’s blast came from several different parts of Germany and included two couples.
A previous version of this story has been corrected to show that the German interior minister’s surname is Maiziere, not Maziere.
Germany committed Tornado reconnaissance jets to the military effort against the Islamic State group in Syria following the November attacks in Paris, and started flying missions from the Incirlik air base in Turkey last week.
Top German and Turkish officials already were scheduled to meet in Berlin next week to discuss Europe’s migrant crisis, in which Turkey – which borders both Syria and the European Union – is a key player. De Maiziere said those talks will also address “the determined fight against terrorism”. About 6,000 faithful packed the Paul VI audience hall.
The attack wounded 15 people, including nine Germans and citizens of Norway, Peru and South Korea.
Turkish authorities detained three Russian nationals suspected of links with Islamic State following a suicide bomb attack in Istanbul that killed 10 tourists, media reports said on Wednesday. He didn’t provide further details.
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Cross-border strikes into Syria targeted an area around the rebel-held town of Marea, 20 km (12 miles) from the Turkish border and near the edge of a “safe zone” Turkey wants to establish in northern Syria to keep Islamic State at bay.
