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| Turkey: 29 killed, 166 injured in two blasts in Istanbul | Turkey: 29 killed, 166 injured in two blasts in Istanbul |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Turkey’s interior minister says two bombings in Istanbul have killed 29 people and wounded 116. | Turkey’s interior minister says two bombings in Istanbul have killed 29 people and wounded 116. |
| The explosions happened outside a football stadium in Istanbul, in an attack that appeared to target police hours after a match between two of Turkey’s top teams. | |
| Interior minister Süleyman Soylu described the blasts outside the Vodafone Arena, home to Istanbul’s Beşiktaș football team, as a “cruel plot”. One of the explosions was directly outside the stadium, while the suspected suicide bomber struck in the adjacent Macka park, he told reporters. | Interior minister Süleyman Soylu described the blasts outside the Vodafone Arena, home to Istanbul’s Beşiktaș football team, as a “cruel plot”. One of the explosions was directly outside the stadium, while the suspected suicide bomber struck in the adjacent Macka park, he told reporters. |
| There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Islamic State, Kurdish and far-left militants have all carried out bomb attacks in recent years. The Nato member is part of the US-led coalition fighting Isis in Syria and is battling an insurgency by Kurdish militants in the south-east of the country. | There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Islamic State, Kurdish and far-left militants have all carried out bomb attacks in recent years. The Nato member is part of the US-led coalition fighting Isis in Syria and is battling an insurgency by Kurdish militants in the south-east of the country. |
| “It was like hell. The flames went all the way up to the sky. I was drinking tea at the cafe next to the mosque,” said Omer Yilmaz, who works as a cleaner at the nearby Dolmabahçe mosque, directly across the road from the stadium. | “It was like hell. The flames went all the way up to the sky. I was drinking tea at the cafe next to the mosque,” said Omer Yilmaz, who works as a cleaner at the nearby Dolmabahçe mosque, directly across the road from the stadium. |
| “People ducked under the tables, women began crying. Football fans drinking tea at the cafe sought shelter. It was horrible,” he told Reuters. | “People ducked under the tables, women began crying. Football fans drinking tea at the cafe sought shelter. It was horrible,” he told Reuters. |
| A Reuters photographer said many riot police officers were seriously injured. Armed police sealed off streets. A police water cannon doused the wreckage of a burned-out car and there were two separate fires on the road outside the stadium. | A Reuters photographer said many riot police officers were seriously injured. Armed police sealed off streets. A police water cannon doused the wreckage of a burned-out car and there were two separate fires on the road outside the stadium. |
| Broadcaster NTV said one of the explosions had targeted a police vehicle that was leaving the stadium after fans had already dispersed. | Broadcaster NTV said one of the explosions had targeted a police vehicle that was leaving the stadium after fans had already dispersed. |
| Turkish football team Bursaspor, which finished a match against Beşiktaş attended by thousands of people two hours before the blasts, said none of its fans appeared to have been injured. It and Beşiktaş both said they condemned the attacks. “Those attacking our nation’s unity and solidarity will never win,” sports minister Akif Çagğtay Kilic said on Twitter. | Turkish football team Bursaspor, which finished a match against Beşiktaş attended by thousands of people two hours before the blasts, said none of its fans appeared to have been injured. It and Beşiktaş both said they condemned the attacks. “Those attacking our nation’s unity and solidarity will never win,” sports minister Akif Çagğtay Kilic said on Twitter. |
| Turkey’s transport minister, Ahmet Arslan, also writing on Twitter, described it as a terrorist attack. | Turkey’s transport minister, Ahmet Arslan, also writing on Twitter, described it as a terrorist attack. |
| “I condemn the terror attack on Beşiktaş, Istanbul, and wish all those injured a speedy recovery,” he wrote. | “I condemn the terror attack on Beşiktaş, Istanbul, and wish all those injured a speedy recovery,” he wrote. |
| President Tayyip Erdogan, who was in Istanbul at the time of the explosions, had been in contact with the chief of Istanbul police and the prime minister and was following developments closely, sources in his office said. | President Tayyip Erdogan, who was in Istanbul at the time of the explosions, had been in contact with the chief of Istanbul police and the prime minister and was following developments closely, sources in his office said. |
| The US consulate in Istanbul issued a tweet urging people to avoid the area. | The US consulate in Istanbul issued a tweet urging people to avoid the area. |
| (3/3) Please avoid the area, monitor local press reporting, and let friends and family know you are OK. | (3/3) Please avoid the area, monitor local press reporting, and let friends and family know you are OK. |
| Turkey has been hit by a series of bombings in recent years, some blamed on Islamic State militants, others claimed by Kurdish and far-left militant groups. | Turkey has been hit by a series of bombings in recent years, some blamed on Islamic State militants, others claimed by Kurdish and far-left militant groups. |
| In June, around 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded when three suspected Isis militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. | In June, around 45 people were killed and hundreds wounded when three suspected Isis militants carried out a gun and bomb attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. |
| There was growing speculation, less than an hour after the explosions, that rebels with the Kurdish Workers’ party (PKK) or an offshoot of the group were behind the attack. | There was growing speculation, less than an hour after the explosions, that rebels with the Kurdish Workers’ party (PKK) or an offshoot of the group were behind the attack. |
| The organisation has been calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey since the late 1970s and in recent months, following the botched coup against President Erdogan in July and the crackdown that ensued, has stepped up targeted assaults against police. | The organisation has been calling for an independent Kurdish state within Turkey since the late 1970s and in recent months, following the botched coup against President Erdogan in July and the crackdown that ensued, has stepped up targeted assaults against police. |
| Erdal Güven, editor in chief of Diken, an independent news portal based in Istanbul, said the brazen attack bore all the hallmarks of the group. “Early suspicions would fall on the PKK or an affiliated organisation, TAK, which always targets the police and has been behind similar bombings in Ankara,” he told the Guardian. “The other suspect, Isis, attacks indiscriminately. It doesn’t care if civilians are killed as well. This seems to have been specifically aimed at the police.” | Erdal Güven, editor in chief of Diken, an independent news portal based in Istanbul, said the brazen attack bore all the hallmarks of the group. “Early suspicions would fall on the PKK or an affiliated organisation, TAK, which always targets the police and has been behind similar bombings in Ankara,” he told the Guardian. “The other suspect, Isis, attacks indiscriminately. It doesn’t care if civilians are killed as well. This seems to have been specifically aimed at the police.” |