Turkey accused a Syrian woman of planting a bomb this Monday (14) in an attack that killed six people in Istanbul on Sunday and, according to police, was ordered by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). ) denies the allegations.
“The person who planted the bomb has been arrested,” said Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu a short time ago. According to our findings, the terrorist organization PKK is responsible for the attack,’ he accused.
The PKK denied any role in the attack on Monday.
In a statement to the Fırat news agency, the group said, “Our people and the democratic public know well that we have nothing to do with this incident, we do not directly attack civilians and we do not accept actions against civilians.”
Fırat is close to the PKK, which has been listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
The arrested woman, identified as Elham Albashir, allegedly entered Turkey via Afrin, a city in northeastern Syria controlled by Turkish and Syrian troops. Police said they received orders from the city of Kobani in northeastern Syria, which is controlled by Kurdish movements allied with the PKK.
According to the minister, 46 suspects were detained, some of them in the same place as the woman.
Claiming that they found large amounts of euros and gold pieces in an apartment in Istanbul Küçükçekmece, the police reported that the explosive was made of “high-powered TNT”. a bag, a pistol and cartridges.
The attack on Istiklal trade street at noon on the 13th Sunday was not claimed. The attack killed six people and injured 81, of whom about thirty were still in hospital as of Monday.
Among the dead are a 9-year-old girl who died with her father, all Turkish nationals, and a 15-year-old teenager who died with her mother.
Turkey rejects US condolences
Police footage released by Turkish media shows a woman in a purple coat trapped in an apartment.
As of Sunday night, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Vice President Fuat Oktay blamed “a woman” for the attack.
Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag said, “A woman sat on the bench for 40-45 minutes, after a minute or two there was an explosion.”
Turkish media released a video from a security camera on Istiklal Street showing a young woman in camouflage pants and black veil walking through the crowd, determined to be the person who planted the bomb.
The interior minister blamed the Kurdish forces of the YPG, the People’s Protection Units that control most of northeastern Syria, for the attack.
We believe that the order for the attack was given in Kobani,” he said.
Like the PKK, the YPG is seen by Ankara as a “terrorist group”.
On Monday, Turkey rejected US condolences over the incident, saying Washington “supports Kobani terrorists”.
The city of Kobani gained notoriety with the 2015 war that allowed US-backed Kurdish forces to repulse the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.
The busy Istiklal Street, which was partially closed on Sunday, reopened on Monday morning. However, AFP noted that all seats were removed.
A red carpet covered the blast site, and passersby left red carnations.
The PKK, which has waged an armed struggle against the Turkish government since the 1980s, has in the past accused Ankara of being responsible for bloody attacks on Turkish soil.
The PKK is at the center of the dispute between Sweden and Turkey – Istanbul has blocked the Scandinavian country from joining NATO since May, accusing the PKK of being too tolerant of the group.
(with information from AFP)
source: Noticias
