NAfter the bomb attack in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, which killed six and injured more than 80, the authorities say they arrested the person who is said to have planted the bomb on the Istiklal shopping street. This was announced by Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu early Monday morning, according to state broadcaster TRT. There are connections to the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK. Soylu announced retaliation, according to TRT.
The Turkish government had previously spoken of a suspicious woman. Videos show that the woman sat on a bench on the shopping street for about 40 minutes and got up just before the detonation, according to Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag.
Shortly after the explosion, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of a “vile attack”; those responsible would be “unmasked”. Attempts of “terrorism” against the Turkish people are doomed to failure.
The explosion occurred at 4:20 p.m. local time. At that time, the pedestrian zone was particularly busy. The street is a tourist hotspot in the center of the European part of the Turkish metropolis, which is often crowded even on Sundays. A ministry employee and his daughter were among the dead, Family Minister Derya Yanik wrote on Twitter in the evening.
Ambulances arrive at the site of the explosion in central Istanbul.
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Image: Reuters
A powerful bang, followed by flames, can be heard in recordings on the online networks. The explosion could be heard in neighboring quarters. The images also show a large, black crater and several people lying on the ground. The explosion caused panic among visitors to the shopping street. The area was immediately evacuated. People in the city were urged to avoid the area. Surrounding streets should also be kept free of traffic.
Reports initially blocked
Shortly after the accident, the Turkish media initially did not report on the explosion. The Turkish broadcasting authority Rtük imposed a temporary news ban on the media. Reports of the explosion should be avoided so as not to cause fear and panic among the population, the letter said in the afternoon. The broadcasters CNN Türk and TRT, for example, then interrupted their reports on the explosion on the popular shopping street. Only interviews with ministers were still broadcast. Platforms such as Twitter and Co. were also difficult to access for many users. The Information Technology and Communications Authority (BTK) had reportedly reduced bandwidth for social media platforms. Lawyer Kerem Altiparmak tweeted: “The whole world is talking about the bomb that went off in Turkey, except Turkey.”
After the attack, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier offered his condolences to Turkish President Erdogan. “The news of the devastating explosion in the middle of busy Istanbul shook me,” wrote Steinmeier. “My thoughts are with the victims and their relatives, and my wishes for recovery go to all those injured.” Steinmeier emphasized: “In this moment of shock, we Germans stand by the citizens of Istanbul and the Turkish people.”
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also expressed her condolences after the attack in Istanbul. “Terrible pictures come from Istanbul,” said the Green politician on Twitter. “My thoughts are with the people who just wanted to stroll down Istiklal shopping street on a Sunday and have now been the victims of a massive explosion.”
Other German politicians also expressed concern. “My thoughts are with the relatives of the victims of the cowardly attack on Istiklal Caddesi in Istanbul,” Green Party leader Omid Nouripour wrote on Twitter. “I wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
US President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the “act of violence”. “We stand side by side with our NATO ally Turkey in the fight against terrorism,” she said.
The Federal Foreign Office advised people who are in Istanbul to stay at home if possible. “In any case, avoid the affected area,” wrote the agency in the evening in an update to its travel and security advice for Turkey.
There have been repeated attacks in Turkey in the past, including in the center of Istanbul. In 2016, for example, a suicide bomber blew himself up on Istiklal, killing four people and injuring 39 others. According to the Turkish government, the assassin had connections to the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS). The group itself did not confess to the fact at the time.
The banned Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK has also repeatedly carried out attacks in Turkey. The PKK is on terrorist lists in Turkey, Europe and the US, and has positions in south-eastern Turkey and northern Iraq. Their headquarters are in the northern Iraqi Kandil Mountains. Ankara regularly takes action against the PKK and has maintained military posts in northern Iraq since 2016.
The conflict, which has been going on since 1984, has so far claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. A ceasefire failed in the summer of 2015.