The Ankara police chief, Intelligence Bureau chief and Security Bureau chief had been stood down for the “health of the investigation” into the attack, the ministry said.
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The twin blasts targeted activists who had gathered outside Ankara’s main train station for a peace rally organized by leftist and pro-Kurdish opposition groups.
A government spokesman said the detainees have ties to Kurdish rebels and allegedly posted tweets that said: “The bomb will explode in Ankara” and “What if (Islamic State) explodes (a bomb) in Ankara?”
The attack has raised political tensions to new highs as Turkey prepares for a snap election on November 1, with polarisation within the country now greater than ever.
In his first public remarks following the bombing, President Erdogan acknowledged there had been intelligence failings.
Turkish authorities on Wednesday imposed a ban on reporting on the details of the investigation. The prime minister said both Islamic State and the PKK could have played a role.
In addition, on October 12, a restriction decision was given out concerning the bombing investigation over the prosecutor’s demand.
Available information point to an Islamic State-linked Turkish group from Adiyaman, which officials have been blamed for two deadly bombings since June, analysts said.
Saturday’s two explosions hit a lunchtime peace rally in Ankara calling for an end to the renewed conflict between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkish government.
“I went to the police countless times to try and get my son back from Syria”, Radikal quoted the father of the second Ankara suicide bomber as saying in an interview on Wednesday, using the initials M.D.to protect his identity. Ninety-seven people were killed and about 246 injured. After that, Yunus Emre Alagoz and his brother Seyh Abdurrahman left for Syria.
Adiyaman, a small, mostly-Kurdish city in Turkey’s southeast, has produced a disproportionate number of ISIS sympathizers.
“This is an interesting turn of events”, an official told AFP. The PKK has been waging an insurgency in Turkey since 1984.
“Our message to the Americans, all allies and Russian Federation is very clear: We will not hesitate even a moment [to respond] if the weapons aid to PYD so close to Turkish border becomes a threat to Turkey in any way and PYD begins to harm Turkey via infiltrations like the PKK or weapons transfer”, the prime minister said.
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“The US and Russian ambassadors were called to the ministry yesterday (Tuesday) to convey Turkey’s views about the PYD (Democratic Unity Party)”, the foreign ministry official told AFP.
