Suspect in Istanbul bombing detained
Minister says order for attack on Istiklal Avenue was given in Syrian city of Kobani
Turkish police said yesterday they have detained a Syrian woman with suspected links to Kurdish militants and that she confessed to planting a bomb that exploded on a bustling pedestrian avenue in Istanbul, killing six people and wounding several dozen others. Kurdish militants strongly denied any links to the bombing.
Sunday’s explosion hit Istiklal Avenue, a popular thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants that leads to Taksim Square.
Raids carried out
“A little while ago, the person who left the bomb was detained by our Istanbul Police Department teams,’’ Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced early yesterday. Police later identified the suspect
as Ahlam Al Bashir, a Syrian citizen. The Istanbul Police Department said videos from around 1,200 security cameras were reviewed and raids were carried out at 21 locations. At least 46 other people were also detained for questioning.
The suspected allegedly departed the scene in a taxi after leaving TNT-type explosives on the crowded avenue, police said.
Earlier, Soylu said security forces believe that instructions for the attack came from Kobani, the majority Kurdish city in northern Syria that borders Turkey. He said the attack would be avenged.
“We know what message those who carried out this action want to give us. We got this message,’’ Soylu said.