Turkey blames Kurdish separatists, and calls it a ‘terror attack’.
Authorities in Turkey have arrested over 46 suspects in connection with the bomb explosion which rocked the capital city of Istanbul on Sunday. According to a report from Aljazeera on Monday, November 14, one of the suspects, the authorities believe, had planted the bomb in the busy Istiklal Avenue.
This announcement was made by Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s interior minister who also stated that, the initial findings suggest the involvement of Kurdish militants.
“The person who planted the bomb has been arrested,” Soylu said in an overnight statement carried by the official Anadolu agency and local TV stations. “According to our findings, the PKK terrorist organisation is responsible”, added the statement, according to the report.
The minister also stated that the Kurdish forces who have control over most of northeastern Syria, were behind the attack. According to the report, the Turkish government believed that these forces are terrorists.
“We believe that the order for the attack was given from Kobane,” he added.
The report also states that the city of Kobane, referred by Soylu, is famous for the battle between Kurdish forces and the Islamic State group in 2015. This area is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the report adds, of which the People’s Protection Units, allies of PKK, are a major component.
Meanwhile, PKK has issued a statement in which it denied any involvement in the attack, and expressed its condolences as reported by Aljazeera.
The bomb explosion which took place in Istanbul at 4.13 pm (14.13 CET) on Sunday, November 13, killed six people and injured over 81. The CCTV footage has revealed that the explosion occurred at 4.13 pm (14.13 CET). According to the reports, no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
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