Turkey arrests suspect linked to terror attack
Print Edition
Turkey said yesterday it has arrested one person in connection with a deadly suicide bombing that ripped through the historic heart of Istanbul, killing 10 tourists, most of them Germans.
Ankara said that Tuesday’s attack was carried out by a 28-year-old Syrian who belonged to the Islamic State (IS) group and had entered Turkey from Syria.
One person was arrested on Tuesday evening in connection with the bloodshed, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said yesterday, without explaining the suspect’s role in the strike.
In the wake of the attack, Turkish security forces rounded up 68 suspected IS members across the country, state media said, but it was not clear if any of them were directly connected to the Istanbul bombing.
“The investigation is continuing in a very intensive way,” Ala told a news conference in Istanbul alongside German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere.
De Maiziere said there was “no indication” the attack specifically targeted Germans, saying there was no need to cancel travel plans.
“It was an attack against humanity. I see no reason to refrain from trips to Turkey,” he said.
But the German foreign ministry has advised its nationals to keep away from large groups in public places and tourist attractions in Istanbul.
Turkey has been hit by a string of deadly attacks blamed on jihadists in the past year, including a double suicide bombing in October in Ankara that killed more than 100 people.
But Tuesday’s bombing was the first time in recent memory tourists had been targeted in the heart of Istanbul.
The bomber, identified as Nabil Fadli, detonated his charge on Sultanahmet Square which is home to Turkey’s most visited historic sites including the Ottoman-era Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia church.
The explosion went off by the Obelisk of Theodosius, a monument from ancient Egypt that was re-erected by the Roman Emperor Theodosius.
The Sabah daily said the bomber entered Turkey as a refugee from Syria on January 5. He was fingerprinted by the Turkish migration service, explaining why the authorities were able to identify the bomber so rapidly after the attack.
The Hurriyet daily said Turkey’s spy agency had twice issued warnings over the risk of a suicide attack in Istanbul.
Police yesterday removed a cordon preventing access to the area of the attack, which was quickly thronged by media and some tourists, an AFP correspondent said.
Almost all of the victims were German, with Ankara giving the figure of nine while Berlin put the number at eight. Peru also said one of its nationals had died in the attack.
Another 15 people were injured, most of them Germans but also Norwegians, Peruvians and at least one Turk. Two Germans are said to be in a serious condition.
In impromptu remarks at his weekly audience, Pope Francis called on all believers to pray for the victims.
“May the Lord, the merciful, bring eternal piece to the departed, comfort to their families,” he said.
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