![Police officers stand at the entrance to Istanbul's popular pedestrian Istiklal Avenue, late on Sunday, November 13, 2022 [Emrah Gurel/ AP]](https://asianatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/B87Bm8zd-AP22317684102856.webp "Deadly terrorist bombing in Istanbul, Syrian woman arrested")
In what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described as a bomb strike that “smells like terrorism,” an explosion rocked a busy pedestrian area in the heart of Istanbul, leaving at least six people dead and 81 more injured.
The explosion occurred at about 4:20 pm (13:20 GMT) on Sunday, according to officials. Four people died at the scene and two died in the hospital. Ambulances rushed to the site on Sunday on the congested Istiklal road, which police promptly closed off. The neighborhood in the largest city in Turkey, Beyoglu, had been busy during the weekend with shoppers, tourists, and families as usual.
A video posted online showed flames erupting and a loud bang, as pedestrians turned and ran away. Speaking on Sunday before leaving for the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia, Erdogan, the current President of Turkey called the explosion a “treacherous attack” and promised that those responsible would face consequences. According to a senior Turkish official, Turkish investigators initially believed the perpetrator of an Istanbul bombing is connected to Kurdish forces, though they have not ruled out ISIL (ISIS) ties.
The PKK, an organization that Turkey, the European Union, and the United States consider to be “terrorist,” is affiliated with the individual, the officials claimed, according to preliminary investigations.
In connection with an attack in the city’s center, Istanbul police later detained 46 persons, including a Syrian lady who is thought to have set the device. The explosion on Sunday is the first of its kind to occur in Istanbul in a number of years.
Before the woman was detained at 2:50 am, 1,200 security cameras were inspected, and raids were undertaken at 21 different locations to the woman was found to have connections. Koseoglu reported that the Turkish interior minister claimed that police had a voice recording of a PKK member discussing killing her before being apprehended by authorities.
After the bomb, the suspect hurried to get into a taxi and head to Istanbul’s Esenyurt neighborhood, which is distant from the Taksim neighborhood where the blast took place.
The minister predicted that the criminals would flee to Greece before Turkish authorities could apprehend them. In recent months, tensions between Turkey and Greece have increased mainly due to border issues.
Between 2015 and 2017, Turkey was the target of a series of deadly explosions carried out by ISIL (ISIS) and organizations connected to the outlawed Kurdish PKK group.
In a statement published on Sunday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “The United States strongly condemns the act of violence that took place today in Istanbul, Türkiye.”
The United States condolence message was rejected by Turkey’s interior minister. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu responded by saying, “We do not accept the US embassy’s message of condolences,” in an effort to draw attention to US funding for organizations that Ankara views as PKK offshoots, like the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
A day after Istiklal Avenue was closed off, people started coming back and placing carnations in commemoration of the deaths.
They left the flowers in memory of the deaths and as a sign that “Istiklal is back to its colorful days,” district governor Mustafa Demirelli told reporters.
“I think that strong unity would enable us to move past our wounds and tough times. Our stability, harmony, and togetherness are under attack,” Beyoglu Mayor Haydar Ali Yildiz told reporters there.
According to a statement issued by the Kurdish organization, the PKK has refuted any involvement in the bombing that occurred in Istanbul on Sunday.
According to Turkish police, the PKK was responsible for the strike since the primary suspect in the bombing had admitted to receiving training from the militant organization. In the past, the PKK and allied organizations have attacked people in Turkey. Since 1984, it has been at war with the Turkish government.
The organization currently mostly operates from strongholds in Syria and Iraq across the border.
“I was terrified when I heard the explosion, and everyone froze, staring at one another. People then started to flee. What else can you do? asked Mehmet Akus, a 45-year-old waiter at a restaurant on Istiklal.
“My family called; they are aware that I work on Istiklal. I reassured them,” he said, according to Reuters. Grievances for the victims and condemnations of the incident came from a number of nations, including Greece, Egypt, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Italy, and Pakistan.
Read More: Father’s Hand smeared with daughter’s BLOOD
