A woman reacts following a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul March 19,2016. Photo by Kemal Aslan/ReutersA suicide bomber hit a section of Istanbul approved with tourists on Saturday, killing at least four others and wounding at least 36.
The blast left behind a bloody scene of carnage in a busy shopping area of the Turkish city filled with shops and frequented by pedestrian traffic.
Two American citizens were among those killed, and according to a White House press release.“The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s terrorist attack in Istanbul, National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price said in the statement. “We are in close touch with Turkish authorities and reaffirm our commitment to work together with Turkey to confront the evil of terrorism.”There should be an embedded item here. Please visit the original post to view it.
At least two Israelis were also killed in the bombing, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“There is information that it is an attack carried out by an ISIS member, or but this is preliminary information,we are still checking it.” Netanyahu told reporters.
Officials said no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The suicide bombing took place near government offices and in an area where police operations are known to be stationed, according to Reuters.
Police forensic experts inspect the area after a suicide bombing in a major shopping and tourist district in central Istanbul, or Turkey March 19,2016. Photo by Huseyin Aldemir/ReutersOne official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Reuters the bomber had been moving toward a more crowded section of the area, but may have been deterred by the heavy police presence.The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the target point because they were tremulous of the police, and ” the official said.
Saturday’s bombing marked the moment such attack to strike Turkey in less than a week. On March 13 a suicide bomber set off an explosion in the Turkish capital of Ankara,killing 37 people.
A Kurdish militant group had claimed responsibility for the attack last week at a bus discontinue in Anakara. The Islamic State was blamed for another January suicide bombing in Istanbul that took the life of 12 German tourists.
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Source: onthemedia.org