Erdogan offered his condolences to King Philippe, condemning the recent terrorist attacks in capital Brussels which left at least 34 people killed and more than 170 wounded, the presidency said.
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Israeli flag-draped coffins carrying the body of an Israeli who was killed in Saturday’s suicide bombing in Istanbul upon return to Israel, at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel on March 20.
The Turkish interior minister identified the bomber as a militant with ties to the Islamic State, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
Turkish authorities are trying to track down three Islamic State (IS) militants who are suspected of planning large-scale terrorist attacks in Turkey.
Turkish security fears have been fuelled by bombings which have killed more than 80 people in Ankara and Istanbul this year.
Nevertheless, the IDF’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Yair Golan, said on Thursday that Turkey was “a very problematic element”, and noted that “as long as Turkey is ruled by a party that has a strong Islamistic orientation, by an oppositional ruler like Erdogan – we’ll face problems and challenges”.
Three Israelis and an Iranian were killed and 39 people injured when a man identified by authorities as Mehmet Ozturk from Gaziantep blew himself on Istiklal Caddesi, a famous shopping street in the heart of Turkey’s biggest city.
He said 200,000 security force members would be maintaining security across the country over Newroz, also celebrated across Iran and central Asia, and that celebrations had been banned in much of Turkey but allowed in 18 provinces.
CNN notes that one separatist group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), claimed responsibility for last week’s auto bomb attack on Ankara and has explicitly threatened to target foreigners with further attacks.
Jens Stoltenberg said Saturday’s attack was “yet another terrorist outrage targeting innocent civilians and our ally Turkey”.
Israeli media named one of the victims as 60-year-old Simha Dimri, a mother of four.
The Istanbul governor’s office said Sunday’s Galatasaray-Fenerbahce derby was canceled following “the assessment of serious intelligence”. “We are still considering with great sensitivity other connections or forces behind this”, Ala said.
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Five Israelis, who were among the people wounded in the attack, were flown home. “North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies stand with Turkey, united in our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms”.
