Explosion in Istanbul: panic among the fleeing crowd

46 people were arrested after the attack which hit the center of Istanbul yesterday afternoon, Sunday 13 November. At least 6 people died, 81 others were injured in the explosion that took place in the shopping streets of the Turkish city. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu accused the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) of being the source of the matrix of the attack. For its part, the party denies any accusation: “We offer our condolences to the relatives of the victims – they say in a press release given to ANFNEWS – and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. We have nothing to do with what happened, it is well known in public opinion that we would never target civilians. We are a movement leading a just and legitimate struggle for freedom. Targeting the population is out of the question. »

Among those arrested there is also the one who physically planted the bomb. Ahlam Albashir entered Turkey from Syria, according to sources cited by the Ankara government. All those arrested are believed to be linked to the PKK and the YPG People’s Protection Unit. After the attack, according to the Turkish government, Albashir tried to flee to Greece. Turkish President Erdogan’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, blamed the West. Arguing that terrorist attacks against civilians are “direct or indirect consequences of the support of certain foreign countries for terrorist organizations”.

Explosion in Istanbul: a bomb left in a backpack on a bench

There are no foreign nationals among the victims. According to information from sources inside the hospitals, all the victims are of Turkish nationality. Of the 81 people injured, 50 have been released. 31 are in serious condition which will be monitored during these hours. According to what has been reconstructed, the explosion was caused by a bomb left in an abandoned backpack on a bench. From what can be seen in the CCTV footage, a woman waited about 40 minutes while sitting on a bench. Then leave, abandoning the backpack. The explosion occurred a minute later. Which suggests that the bomb was detonated remotely.