6 dead & 81 injured in an explosion in a crowded location in Istanbul.
The explosion occurred on a retail strip near Taksim Square Turkey on Sunday at approximately 16:20 local time (13:20 GMT).
The interior ministry reported that a suspect has now been taken into custody. Earlier, vice president Fuat Oktay stated that a female terrorist is suspected of carrying out the explosion.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the guilty will face punishment. During a news conference in Istanbul, he condemned the “vile attack” and declared that “the stink of terror” was evident.
The justice minister, Bekir Bozdag, informed Turkish media that a lady had been sitting on a neighboring seat for more than 40 minutes before leaving just before the explosion.
Suleyman Soylu, the interior minister, announced on Monday morning that police had detained a suspect in the bomb’s alleged leaver and that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was to blame.
The PKK, a terrorist group, seeks an autonomous Kurdish state within Turkey. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
Derya Yanik, a government official, tweeted that two victims were a government ministry employee and his young daughter.
Istiklal Street has been closed down, and there is a considerable police presence in the area, according to BBC correspondent Orla Guerin, who is nearby. While helicopters hovered overhead, ambulances moved back and forth.
She said that several store owners who were standing at their doors in the typically busy area were astonished and that the episode will have shocked many people in the city.
When The Blast Occurred
Hayat was at an Istiklal Street internet café. There was a ruckus in the neighborhood, she claimed. She remembered people sprinting about and injured people strolling past the internet café on their way to the hospital. “There was an uproar,”
Cemal Denizci, another witness, was around 50 meters (54 yards) away when the blast occurred. “The smoke was dark. The explosion was so loud that it was nearly deafening, “He informed AFP.
Following the incident, 20-year-old Eyup told the BBC that “there is panic” among Istanbul locals and said that more people may decide to avoid busy locations like Taksim. In the aftermath of the catastrophe, Turkey has received condolences from all across the world.
According to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the US stands “shoulder to shoulder” with NATO members in “countering terrorism.”
“We understand your anguish… We support you in your fight against terrorism “French President Emmanuel Macron remarked in a Turkish tweet. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, declared in a tweet that was also posted in Turkish, “The sadness of the fraternal Turkish people is our agony.”
Greece, Italy, Pakistan, and other nations also showed their sympathy. One of the city’s main thoroughfares, Istiklal Boulevard, which is frequently crowded with shoppers, was previously attacked by a suicide bomber in 2016.
