A woman waves to a friend... then suicide bomber unleashes carnage on ‘Grafton Street of Istanbul’

THIS is the terrifying moment a suicide bomber unleashed a deadly explosion on a busy shopping street in Istanbul, killing five and injuring 36, including two Irish citizens.

Two of the dead were American. The bomber struck yesterday on Istiklal Street – Turkey’s equivalent to Grafton Street. Within minutes of the attack, what appears to be grainy CCTV footage was posted on social media. It shows a woman in a light top, above left, waving to a friend while a man wearing a dark jacket and jeans stands behind. He is then caught in the middle of the blast, bottom left. The woman can be seen near a shop. As the smoke clears, above, shoppers lie on the ground or run away. The fate of the woman and man is not known.

Yesterday evening, the two Irish citizens were discharged from hospital after receiving minor injuries. Their three children, who were with them, were unharmed. It was the final day of their holiday in Turkey and last night they were en route home to Britain, where they now live.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has advised citizens travelling to Turkey to exercise extreme caution following the fourth suicide bombing in the country this year.

Turkish government blamed the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party for the atrocity but local media said the bomber may be a Turk trained by Islamic State.