A Syrian suicide bomber connected to ISIS is thought to be responsible for an attack which killed at least ten people including foreigners in the heart of Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet tourist district. A Turkish official told the Associated Press that at least nine of the victims of the attack were Germans.
Advertisement
International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today.The explosion, which could be heard from several neighborhoods, was at a park that is home to a landmark obelisk, some 25 meters (yards) from the historic Blue Mosque.
Turkey has also become a target for Islamic State, with two attacks previous year.
Sultanahmet is Istanbul’s main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the former Byzantine church of Haghia Sophia, now a museum.
But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which has staged dozens of deadly attacks against members of the security forces in the southeast.
A policemen patrols at the Sultanahmet district after an explosion as the Blue Mosque is seen in the background in Istanbul, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016.
Several people are said to be injured in the blast which occured on Tuesday morning in the popular tourist spot.
Kurtulmus also revealed earlier the bomber was born in Syria in 1988, and recently entered Turkey illegally from Syria, adding that the authorities were trying to “determine the identities” of those killed. “Two of those injured in the attack are in critical condition while three others had left the hospital”, Kurtulmus said.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who indicated the suicide bomber came from outside of Turkey, said: “These terrorists [are] targeting the whole of civilization”. Turkey is a popular destination for German tourists.
“Travellers in Istanbul are strongly urged to avoid for now large groups of people in public places as well as tourist attractions” and to stay informed via official travel advisories and the media, the foreign ministry said. The government blamed the Islamic State for those explosions, but the militant group never asserted responsibility. In addition, Kurdish separatists and domestic left-wing groups have carried out attacks in Turkey.
The German government said eight of those killed and many of those injured were German citizens.
Advertisement
Turkey has been the victim of two bombings previous year, the most recent of which saw the death of more than 100 people in twin bombings outside Ankara’s main train station in October and in July in the town of Sucruc near the Syria border with Turkey, which claimed the lives of 30 people.
