Explosion on major Istanbul avenue kills 4; cause unclear (UPDATE)

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Sun Nov 13, 2022, 12:44 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP

ISTANBUL (AP) — An explosion on one of Istanbul’s most popular pedestrian thoroughfares killed four people and injured 38 on Sunday, authorities said.

The cause of the blast on Istiklal Avenue was not immediately clear. Five prosecutors were assigned to investigate the explosion, state-run Anadolu news agency said.

A video posted online showed flames erupting and a loud bang, as pedestrians turned and ran away. Other footage showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene. Social media users said shops were shuttered and the avenue closed down.

Turkey’s media watchdog imposed a temporary ban on reporting on the explosion — a move that prevents broadcasters from showing videos of the moment of the blast or its aftermath. The Supreme Council of Radio and Television has imposed similar bans in the past, following attacks and accidents.


Original story below.

ISTANBUL (AP) — An explosion on Istanbul’s popular pedestrian Istiklal Avenue Sunday has left people dead and injured, a senior official said.

Istanbul Gov. Ali Yerlikaya tweeted that the explosion occurred at about 4:20 p.m. (1320 GMT) and that there were deaths and injuries, but he did not say how many. The cause of the explosion was not clear.

A video posted online showed flames erupting and a loud bang, as pedestrians turned and ran away.

Other footage showed ambulances, fire trucks and police at the scene. Social media users said shops were shuttered and the avenue closed down.


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-explosions-istanbul-7a766611fc3002becd114e61f7b2c644?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=TopNews&utm_campaign=position_06

[Lasher]

1. Somebody hates people.

[electric_blue68]

2. Oh, No! : (

[SoBlueInFL]

3. I worry that by declaring the media block, that Erdogan is setting it up to r/o

blame the PKK even if they are not to blame.

[Warpy]

5. I did notice a heavily veiled person, very heavy set

and much taller than the others walking by. Don't know if that was the bomber, but it looked a little suspicious to me. It didn't look like a gas explosion from any of the restaurants, it seemed to be on the walkway, itself.

It could easily be PKK. It could also be a random ISIL sorehead.

[TheBlackAdder]

4. Perhaps it was an. . . Unclear Warhead

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Istanbul bombing: 46 detained as Turkey minister blames Kurdish separatists

Turkey’s interior minister has accused Kurdish militants in northern Syria of responsibility for a bombing in a busy Istanbul shopping thoroughfare that killed six people, and said that a suspect had been arrested.

Six people died and 81 were injured when a bomb struck Istanbul’s popular pedestrian thoroughfare İstiklal Avenue, timed to strike when it was most crowded. Turkey’s justice minister, Bekir Bozdağ, said that “a woman sat on a bench there for 45 minutes”, and that the explosion occurred moments after she left.

The Turkish interior minister, Süleyman Soylu, said early on Monday the attack was planned in a Kurdish-majority city in northern Syria, blaming militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) and the People’s Defence Units (YPG).
...
The PKK denied involvement on Monday, saying in a statement on its website “it is out of [the] question for us to target civilians in any way”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/14/istanbul-bombing-suspect-arrested-as-turkey-minister-blames-kurdish-separatists

Whether or not Kurds were involved, Erdogan would never pass up an opportunity to arrest as many of them as possible.