Turkey: Seventeen suspects imprisoned for the explosion in Istanbul











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ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Turkish court has ordered the pre-trial detention of 17 people suspected of being involved in the explosion that killed six people in central Istanbul on Sunday, the Anadolu news agency reported on Friday.

These suspects are part of a group of nearly 50 people arrested by Istanbul police earlier this week. Among them are the woman suspected of planting the bomb, a Syrian identified by police as Ahlam Albashir, and the person who drove her there.

No organization claimed responsibility for the blast, which injured more than 80 people on Istiqlal Avenue, a historic and busy pedestrian area.

The Turkish government blamed the explosion on Kurdish militants.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Kurdish YPG movement, have denied any involvement.

According to Anadolu, the alleged bomber told investigators that she arrived in Turkey in July after receiving orders from the YPG. Ahlam Albashir also said she did not know what was in the bag she was asked to leave at the scene of the explosion and that it was given to her by another suspect who later fled Turkey.

A YPG spokesman did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Thursday that 13 people injured in the attack remained in hospital, including two in intensive care.

(Report by Ezgi Erkoyun and Timour Azhari, French version Augustin Turpin)










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