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Istanbul blast: Suspect arrested as minister says attack order came from Syria

Eight people died in Sunday's blast while 81 were injured

TURKEY-SECURITY/ Turkish officials collecting evidence at the scene of explosion at Istiklal street in Istanbul on November 13 | Reuters

Hours after a bomb rocked a bustling pedestrian avenue in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday killing eight people, the police have arrested the suspect who left the bomb. 

Türkiye interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said primary investigation revealed the order from the attack came from Syria. 

"Our assessment is that the order for the deadly terror attack came from Ayn al-Arab in northern Syria, where the PKK/YPG has its Syrian headquarters," said Soylu, referring to Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has been listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, US and the European Union. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.

Though Soylu did not reveal more details of the bomber, vice-president Fuat Oktay, who visited the blast site, had earlier mentioned that the bomber could be a female. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag too said that a woman sat on one of the benches on the street for more than 40 minutes, and the explosion occurred just minutes after she got up.

Meanwhile, Soylu added that the country will continue with its resolute and rightful war on terror, reported Anadolu Agency, Turkiye's state-run media.

"We will retaliate against those who are responsible for this heinous terror attack," he added while confirming eight deaths.

The minister added that 81 were injured in the attack, of which 50 have been released from the hospitals. Two of the injured are in critical condition.

Though Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had called the blast a "treacherous attack" and said its perpetrators would be punished, he had not mentioned who was responsible for the blast. Erdogan, however, added that it had the "smell of terror."

Meanwhile, videos doing rounds on social media showed emergency vehicles rushing to the scene as pedestrians fled the scene of the blast on Istiklal Avenue, a popular thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants that leads to the iconic Taksim Square. 

"When I heard the explosion, I was petrified, people froze, looking at each other. Then people started running away. What else can you do," said Mehmet Akus, 45, a restaurant worker on Istiklal. "My relatives called me, they know I work on Istiklal. I reassured them," he told Reuters. 

A shocking reminder

For the people of Turkiye, Sunday's explosion was a shocking reminder of the terror strikes that once shook the country, including the string of deadly bombings between 2015 and 2017.

Such attacks were common till a few years ago. Turkiye had witnessed a string of deadly bombings between 2015 and 2017, some by the Islamic State group, others by the Kurdish militants.

However, after he assumed power, Erdogan led a broad crackdown on the militants, Kurdish lawmakers and activists. The country also launched cross-border military operations into Syria and northern Iraq against Kurdish militants. 

India condoles  

India on Sunday conveyed its "deepest condolences" to the government and people of Turkey over the "tragic loss of lives" in a blast in Istanbul. "Our sympathies are also with those who sustained injuries. We wish them a speedy recovery," said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Besides Greece, French President Emmanuel Macron too condoled the Istanbul attack, stating it came exactly seven years after Islamic State extremists killed 130 people at Paris cafes, the Bataclan theater and France's national stadium.

"On such a symbolic day for our nation, as we are thinking of the victims who fell Nov. 13, 2015, the Turkish people were hit by an attack on their heart, Istanbul," Macron said. "To the Turks: We share your pain. We stand at your side in the fight against terrorism.

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