Istanbul "suicide" blast injures 32

[s90]

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- At least 32 people were wounded, five seriously, in an apparent suicide bombing in the center of Istanbul on Sunday, police said.

Those injured in the attack in Taksim Square included 15 police officers and 17 civilians, said Istanbul Governor Huseyin Azni Mutlu. The five people in serious condition were all police officers, he said.

The male bomber died at the scene, Mutlu todl reporters. A second device was found on the bomber's body that either failed to detonate or was not used, he said.

The bomber was trying to get into a police car when he set off the explosion. Security cameras caught the event, and officials were looking over the video for more information, Mutlu said.

He condemned the attack as a "crime against humanity." He would not name the bomber or discuss a motive, and said it was too early to provide information on possible ties to organizations while the investigation was under way.

Earlier, Istanbul Police Chief Huseyin Capkin said the suspected bomber tried to board a police bus parked in the square, but the blast occurred before he did.

Taksim Square houses a commercial district and a major transportation network that includes buses, metro systems and taxis. Visitors throng the area, which is typically patrolled by numerous officers.

The suicide bomber struck when the city was marking National Day, which celebrates the declaration of independence for the Turkish republic. The parade was originally scheduled for Friday, but bad weather forced a postponement.

Analysts familiar with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, told CNN Turk that it is likely PKK was behind the

attack.

But a party spokesman told CNN that he did not know anything about the explosion.

"This blast in Taksim or explosion, I have no idea about it," PKK spokesman Roj Qandil said.

Qandil said the PKK's "unilateral cease-fire" was scheduled to end Sunday, but he said party leader Murat Karayilan told a Turkish journalist several days ago that "we are not going to do any actions against civilians anymore."

 

[airuah]

what the heck wrong withem up?what difference are tgo and blow these assholes who just are they gonna make in the world? the only thing they achieve is create anger among the common man

 

[Tayyab1796]

The 'suicide' element in the blast is worrisome ... Is PKK changing her tactics into more lethal missions ? ...my prayers for the injured

 

[mjnaushad]

May the injured recover soon....

If PKK turned its tactic to suicide bombing then Its not good. We know how it hurt the economy.

 

[Jigs]

Eyewitnesses of Istanbul bomb tell of panic


Sunday, October 31, 2010
IPEK EMEKSİZ
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News





A suicide bomb that rocked Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Sunday morning caused widespread panic among people that later turned to anger as people in the city began to take stock of the attack.

Both pedestrians walking through the square at the time of the incident and people enjoying the mid-morning sun from the cafes and shops ringing the square had the same immediate reaction: fear.

The blast, which occurred sometime after 10 a.m., turned Istanbul’s main entertainment district into chaos, with pieces of bloody flesh scattered around from the suicide bomber, voices of injured people screaming for help and dust clouds obscuring people’s vision, according to eyewitness accounts.

A Talimhane grocery store owner who witnessed the attack said he was outside his shop giving directions to a tourist when the blast happened. An intense sound came from behind the Roma flower sellers on the cross street, said the store owner, who declined to give his name. People with faces covered with blood began to run hectically in front of his store.

“Terror is not just an event that happens in the mountains any more; it has descended into the city centers. I believe this blast was purposefully planned for today because the cease-fire of the PKK [outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party], is ending,” said the storeowner.

After police teams and paramedics responded, injured people were taken to nearby hospitals and the scene of the accident was cordoned off by security teams.

The closest hospital, Taksim Hospital, was flooded with wounded people. The patients’ relatives, shocked by the blast, attempted to comfort their loved ones, but were themselves dazed by the attack.

Declining to comment on what happened, the patients’ relatives, in tears, told reporters, “Let us alone, don’t you see our miserable situation?”

Curious citizens observing the situation in the hospital’s garden were sent away by hospital security as ambulances with more wounded victims arrived.

The most seriously injured were transported to hospitals including Istanbul Şişli Etfal, Okmeydanı, and the German Hospital.

Muzaffer Arslan and Halil Keskinbıçak, two injuried police officers, were sent to Şişli Etfal Hospital and were visited by their concerned colleagues, who lined up outside the hospital to donate blood.

Keskinbıçak was reportedly injured in his chest and was admitted to the intensive care unit, while Arslan’s feet were injured.

After arriving at the hospital to see her son, Ayşe Arslan felt faint and was taken outside for some fresh air. “I’m feeling everything a mother goes through in such a situation,” said Arslan.

She said her son, who recently married, was incredibly lucky to have escaped worse injuries.

Questions of responsibility

“Killing people on a Sunday morning is an inhumane action. I curse the ones who organized this. What a shame to the ones supporting them by talking on television programs,” said 56-year-old bystander Hakan Demirci, referring to the PKK.

People were not exactly sure about the organization responsible for the suicide attack, as no official claim of responsibility had been made as the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to press late Sunday.

A taxi driver who witnessed the incident said al-Qaeda might be responsible. “Al-Qaeda representatives were saying on TV that Turkey should watch its step as it has become too close to the West,” said Hüseyin Baygören.

 

[Jigs]

May the injured recover soon....

If PKK turned its tactic to suicide bombing then Its not good. We know how it hurt the economy.

PKK have suicide bombed before. For them it is still rare. We must wait for the investigation to conclude before drawing any conclusion on the matter.

 

[Jigs]

its the handiwork of uncle sam!! who ever is not obeying USA, eg pakistan etc it is struck with suicide blasts now a days

Could you think before you post for once ? This is quite a disrespectful comment.

 

[Jigs]

YouTube - Suicide Bomb attack in Istanbul's Taksim Square, 22 injured.

 

[Pasban]

May the Almighty give courage to those that have been made victim. My humblest condolences...

 

[StingRoy]

its the handiwork of uncle sam!! who ever is not obeying USA, eg pakistan etc it is struck with suicide blasts now a days

Could you think before you post for once ? This is quite a disrespectful comment.

@Jigs... it is a classic example of conspiracy theorists with escapist comments... Just ignore them.
Hope the injured recover soon and the actual culprits caught. Keep us updated. I was shocked to see this happen in Turkey.

 

[Jigs]

@Jigs... it is a classic example of conspiracy theorists with escapist comments... Just ignore them.
Hope the injured recover soon and the actual culprits caught. Keep us updated. I was shocked to see this happen in Turkey.

It is certainly very rare for any terrorist attack to occur in major cities. Even more so a suicide bombing as those rarely happen in Turkey at all. I hope we get to the bottom of this fast and retaliation is swift to those that planned this.

 

[r3alist]

Could you think before you post for once ? This is quite a disrespectful comment.

my deep condolences but i hardly think its disrespectful - just an observation.

 

[U-571]

my deep condolences but i hardly think its disrespectful - just an observation.

u r actually right, anything said to suspect turkey's master is blasphemous, the guy must have got my post deleted..

 

[r3alist]

u r actually right, anything said to suspect turkey's master is blasphemous, the guy must have got my post deleted..

the reason being given by moderator t-faz is "utter nonsense" - well i do hope it is utter nonsense.

 

[Durran3]

u r actually right, anything said to suspect turkey's master is blasphemous, the guy must have got my post deleted..

Shame that people like you who have access to the Internet still come up with this nonsense... maybe you need to get your brain out of the sand and put it in your heard where it belongs... Turkey is a part of NATO with one of the largest army's.. there is absolutely no reason for the US to have carried out this blast and the only people who would think otherwise are deluded kids who are in complete self denial...

Hope the victims of the blast recover from this horrendous trauma..