Erdogan vows to fight terror after Istanbul bombings
scourge of terrorism right to the end They should know that they will not get away with it . . . They will pay a heavier price.”
Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, officials said initial findings suggested it was the work of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, that has waged a bloody campaign against the Turkish state since 1984.
In a ceremony for five of the victims at the city’s police headquarters, officers carried in the coffins draped with f lags as Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim looked on before speaking with the bereaved families.
“Sooner or later we will have our revenge,” Interior Minister Suleman Soylu told the mourners. “The arm of the law is long”.
People also gathered outside the stadium to lay flowers, many holding Turkish flags and shouting “Down with the PKK!” and “Our homeland is indivisible!”
Thousands later joined a protest march around the stadium, with some ruling party fans kicking the buses of opposition CHP supporters, prompting police to disperse the crowds.
Soylu said 30 police, seven civilians and one person yet to be identified had died in the blasts which had also wounded another 155 people.
“The findings point to the PKK,” he said.
Thirteen people have been detained over the blasts.
DeputyPrimeMinisterNuman Kurtulmus said the attack had targeted police.
“Experts say at least 300-400 kilograms of explosives had been used. There was a pit where the car detonated,” he said on CNN Turk television.
Forensic experts were on yesterday collecting evidence at both the stadium and the park, an AFP correspondent said, while municipal workers could be seen clearing up the area and replacing road signs damaged in the stadium blast.
Footage broadcast shortly after the attack showed the wrecked car outside the stadium engulfed in f lames with emergency services swarming around the scene. Other footage showed wrecked police vehicles, while witnesses said the force of the blast shattered the windows of nearby homes.
“I heard two explosions in less than one minute, followed by the sound of gunshots,” one witness said on condition of anonymity.
Besiktas is one of Istanbul’s most popular football clubs, and its fans are known for their antiestablishment views. They played a big role in the 2013 protests against Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time.
In an earlier statement, Erdogan said that the name of the group behind the attack did not matter. “Nobody should doubt that we will defeat terror, terror groups, terrorists and of course the forces behind them, with God’s help,” he said.
In a statement, Besiktas vowed to “stand firm against the vile attackers who will never achieve their goal”.
The stadium is near the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce palace that houses the premier’s office and about a kilometre from the busy Taksim Square, a magnet for tourists.
In June, 47 people were killed in a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, with authorities blaming Islamic State.
Another 57 people including 34 children were k illed i n August in a suicide attack by an IS-linked bomber at a Kurdish wedding in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.