The Turkish Interior Minister said today that the suicide bomber who attacked in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday – killing four, including two Americans – was a militant with ties to ISIS.
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“The evidence we have shows the attacker Mehmet Ozturk was linked to the Daesh terrorist organization”, Mr Ala said, using an Arabic acronym for the Al-Qaeda breakaway group.
But local media said Islamic State jihadists were suspected of being behind the latest attack which targeted Istiklal Caddesi, a bustling pedestrian street in central Istanbul that is lined with shops and cafes.
Israeli officials say the victims included three Israelis, among them two who also hold American citizenship.
“We will hit these terrorist organisations as hard as possible”, Mr Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul, following seven bombings in eight months that have killed more than 200 people.
Later on, the Kurdish militant group TAK claimed responsibility for the Ankara attack.
Istanbul’s governor later raised the number of injured to 39 and said 24 of them were foreigners, without providing a breakdown by nationalities.
The victims of Saturday’s bombing were identified as Yonathan Suher, 40, Simha Dimri, 60, and Avraham Goldman, 69.
Eleven Israelis were wounded in the blast, including Damri’s husband, Avi.
In January, 12 tourists were killed by a suicide bomber in Istanbul in an attack the authorities blamed on Islamic State.
On Sunday, people commemorated those killed in the Istanbul attack, placing carnations and candles at the site of the blast, with one sign that said, “We are on the streets, we are not afraid of you”.
As part of a U.S.-led coalition, Turkey is fighting Islamic State in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Earlier, fans were told that the game would be played without spectators, the state-run Anatole Agency reported, leading to protests by fans who were already inside the stadium.
Authorities initially said that they thought the explosives had detonated prematurely.
Despite the ongoing friction between Israel and Turkey, which has seen the level of diplomatic relations downgraded and a constant barrage of criticism from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the cooperation between the two governments in the wake of the attacks was described by both sides as excellent.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is trying to determine whether the attack was aimed at Israelis. It is also battling Kurdish militants in its southeast, where a ceasefire collapsed last July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s.
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The German embassy school in Istanbul was to remain closed on Monday, according to a letter from the school administration.
