Suicide bomb blast rocks Istanbul
November 1, 2010 - 7:10AM Sydney Morning Herald Bomb blast in Turkey injures 32 A suspected suicide bomber targeted the central Taksim Square in Istanbul, injuring more than 20 people. A suicide bomb ripped through crowds of shoppers and cafe-goers in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, injuring 32 people, as an extended unilateral ceasefire by the separatist PKK came to an end. The blast targeted riot police patrolling the busy Taksim Square in the centre of Turkey's economic capital, police chief Huseyin Capkin said. "We think it was a suicide attack," he said. Description: A police forensic officer inspects the damage. A police forensic officer inspects the damage. Photo: Reuters Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu told reporters 32 people had been injured in the blast, 17 civilians and 15 police officers. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he called a "terrorist" attack during a tour of majority-Kurd southeastern Turkey. "We will not tolerate anybody attacking the peace, stability and security of Turkey," Erdogan said during a trip to the city of Mardin. Description: Suicide bomb ... people come to a victim's aid. Suicide bomb ... people come to a victim's aid. Photo: Reuters Capkin, the police chief, said none of the injured were in danger and the only fatality was the bomber, who blew himself up before reaching his intended target. "He tried to get into a police bus but didn't succeed," he said. Turkish television showed footage of police taking away the lifeless body of a man from the scene, as well as dazed and injured people receiving first aid. Interior Minister Besir Atalay said it was too early to say who was behind the attack, but the separatist rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and extreme left-wing groups have carried out bomb attacks in the past in Istanbul, home to more than 12 million inhabitants. Analysts quoted by television stations pointed to the likely involvement of the PKK, whose unilateral ceasefire declared on August 13 was due to end on Sunday. The PKK said on September 30 that it had decided to extend its truce by one month, an announcement taken to mean it would end on October 30. Murat Karayilan, a top commander of the outlawed PKK, last week said the PKK would no longer target civilians and wanted to extend a unilateral truce indefinitely if the government demonstrated a commitment to dialogue. "We are actually in favour of a permanent ceasefire... We are waiting. We have not decided yet," he told the Radikal newspaper. Taksim Square, and the streets leading to it, attract tens of thousands of people a day and are patrolled by anti-riot police around the clock. According to witnesses quoted by news channels, the powerful blast shook the area around 10:30am, blowing out windows in nearby offices and hotels. Footage showed police and ambulances rushing to the scene. Police immediately threw a security cordon around the area, and streets including the pedestrianised historic Istiklal were closed off, the CNN-Turk and NTV channels reported. On June 22 a bomb exploded in a suburb of Istanbul as a bus full of soldiers was going past, killing five soldiers and the teenage daughter of one of them. Responsibility for that blast was claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), an obscure radical group loyal to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, jailed for life in 1999. The Turkish authorities say TAK is a front used by the PKK, especially when attacks claim civilian casualties. The PKK has said TAK is a splinter group outside its control. The PKK has waged a bloody 26-year campaign for self-rule in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey. AFP [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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