No group has claimed responsibility for the Ankara bombing and, since IS has in the past opportunistically claimed attacks in which it played no part, a few sceptics see the organisation as a convenient scapegoat for the government.
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Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday that the two bombers exploded about 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of dynamite each, and that authorities have detained “a large number” of suspects.
Hundreds of people marched through Istanbul and the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday to condemn the slaughter by suicide bombers at a weekend peace rally, with many venting their anger at the Turkish government itself.
Designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, the PKK launched a separatist insurgency in 1984 in which more than 40,000 people have been killed.
As Kurdish politicians tried to lay flowers at the scene of the attack Sunday, there was a confrontation with police, who said investigators were still working at the site.
He also denied that they were a result of Turkey’s involvement in war in Syria and that the government was dragging the country into the Middle Eastern quagmire.
Davutoglu accused Demirtas, whose party garnered support from largely left-leaning voters beyond its Kurdish base to enter parliament in June, of “open provocation”.
Many of those who believe Mr. Erdogan, his violent supporters, or the “deep state” – an alleged group of anti-democratic coalitions within the Turkish political system including senior members of the security services and judiciary – were complicit in the attack think it could have been an attempt to woo nationalist votes for his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
No one has claimed responsibility, but the attack bears similarities to a suicide bombing that killed 33 Turkish and Kurdish peace activists near the town of Suruc bordering Syria in July.
Hurriyet newspaper said the type of device and explosives used in Ankara were the same as those used in the Suruc attack.
Those taking part in Saturday’s rally included the pro-Kurdish HDP, or Peoples’ Democratic Party, which said on Twitter two of its parliamentary candidates were killed in the blasts. Doctors say dozens are in serious condition, many with burns. “We are going on two-day strike from October 12 to 13 across the country”.
Family members of a victim of Saturday’s bomb blasts mourn during a funeral ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, yesterday.
Davutoglu said Turkey had received intelligence that Kurdish rebels or Islamic State militants were planning suicide bombings and said two would-be bombers were detained before Saturday’s attack.
“There was general intelligence concerning a team called the “immortals” within Daesh (IS) making preparations, concerning preparations by the PKK”, Davutoglu said. The detentions raised the number of suspected IS militants taken into custody in sweeps in four cities to around 40.
Since 2012, Turkey’s Kurdish rebels have been engaged in a peace process, and their influence has grown since their kinsman became allies in the U.S.-led coalition’s fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
It was not clear however, if any of the arrests were linked to the peace rally bombings.
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The explosions also wounded 160 people in what was the worst attack of its kind in Turkey’s history.
