Suicide Bomber Kills 10 in Attack on Istanbul's Historic District
At least 10 people were killed and 15 more were wounded this morning in an attack on Sultanahmet, the historic central district of Istanbul, Turkey. According to Turkish officials, a Syrian suicide bomber who may have been affiliated with ISIS or Kurdish separatists was behind the attack.
In a statement this morning, per the BBC, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey is a “top target for all terrorist groups in the region.” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the attacker has been identified as a Syrian born in 1988.
Kurtulmus also noted that most of the victims were foreigners. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement this morning, “We are seriously concerned that German citizens could and probably will be among the victims and wounded. Those affected are members of a German tourist group.”
So far, no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The New York Times notes that in January of last year a Russian suicide bomber with possible ties to ISIS attacked a police station in Sultanahmet, killing on officer. Three other attacks on Turkey last year were linked to ISIS as well, including a bombing in Ankara that killed over 100 people. The BBC notes that “violence has also soared between Turkish security officials and the PKK Kurdish militants, with a PKK offshoot, the TAK, firing a mortar at Istanbul airport last month.”
