5 killed in bomb blast in Istanbul
ISTANBUL: A suicide bombing ripped through a famous shopping street in central Istanbul on Saturday, killing five people and injuring dozens a week after an attack by Kurdish rebels left 35 dead in Ankara. The attack — the sixth of its kind since July — took place on Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian thoroughfare in the European side of the city that is usually thronged with shoppers and strollers.
ISTANBUL/ANKARA: Five people were killed and 36 wounded in a suspected suicide attack by Kurdish militants on a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul on Saturday.
The fourth suicide bombing in Turkey this year hit part of Istiklal Street, a long pedestrian zone lined with shops of branded apparels, and foreign consulates, just a few hundred metres from an area where police buses are generally parked.
Preliminary findings indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or an affiliate carried out the attack, a senior Turkish official said.
“The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police,” the official said, adding the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded spot.
Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits scoured the area for evidence. Police helicopters buzzed overhead and panicked shoppers fled the area, ducking down narrow sidestreets. WITNESS ACCOUNT
“My local shopkeeper told me someone had blown himself up and I walked towards the end of the street,” one neighbourhood resident said.
“I saw a body on the street. No one was treating him but then I saw someone who appeared to be a regular citizen trying to do something to the body. That was enough for me and I turned and went back.”
Isti kl al Street, usually thronged with shoppers on weekends, was quieter than normal before the blast as more people are staying home after a series of deadly bombings.
Health minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 36 people had been wounded and seven of those were in serious condition. Twelve of the wounded were foreigners, including Israelis, officials said. PKK MENACE
In its armed campaign in Turkey, the PKK has historically struck directly at the security forces and says that it does not target civilians. However, the recent bombings suggest it could be moving toward a tactical shift. A claim of direct responsibility for Saturday’s attack could underscore that.
The PKK is looking to carry out attacks aggressively during the coming Newroz spring holiday, the official said. Newroz, which falls on March 21, is Kurdish New Year.