Turkey Explosion Suspect Arrested

Turkey bomb blast suspect held: A bombing suspect was arrested hours after an explosion killed at least six people on a busy street in Istanbul, Turkey. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, Turkey's interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, stated on Monday that the person is suspected of planting the device. Soylu blamed the bomb assault on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). As per AFP news, he said, "According to our investigations, the PKK terrorist organisation is responsible."

Earlier, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared that the bombing "smells like terrorism." Furthermore, he and the country's vice president, Faut Oktay, claimed that the assault was carried out by a "woman" bomber.

In addition to the six people killed, 81 others were injured in the explosion that hit the busy pedestrian street on Sunday.

The video that leaked online shortly after the explosion showed hundreds of people fleeing the street as ambulances and police rushed to the scene. The crowds of tourists, families and shoppers have seen the video. Following the explosion, some people were observed laying on the ground as others fled, with parents holding their children in their arms.

Authorities later revealed that among the dead were a Turkish government ministry worker and his daughter. As per the news agency, five of those injured were sent to a hospital for intensive care, with two of them in severe condition. At a press conference, Erdogan stated that efforts to "destroy Turkey and the Turkish people through terrorism will fail today, just as they failed yesterday and will fail tomorrow."

“Our people can rest assured that the culprits... will be punished as they deserve,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Meanwhile, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag was quoted by Anadolu as stating that a lady waited on a seat in the street for nearly 40 minutes before leaving minutes before the explosion, hinting that a bomb was set to explode or was detonated from afar.

with input: Hindustan Times