14″ November 2022″ Aljazeera
Turkish police say they have arrested a Syrian woman for planting a bomb that killed at least six people in central Istanbul on Sunday, and claimed that she had been recruited by Kurdish fighters.
Istanbul’s police have said that 46 people have been detained in relation to the attack on Istiklal Avenue, one of Istanbul’s most popular locations. Children were among the six dead, and 81 others were wounded
An official said that initial findings point to the suspect having connections to the Kurdish militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is deemed a “terrorist” group by Turkey, the United States and European Union
In initial questioning, the woman said she was trained by Kurdish fighters in Syria and entered Turkey through northwest Syria’s Afrin region, police say
Syrian Kurdish-led SDF denies involvement in Istiklal attack
Syria’s Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has denied any role in a bomb attack that killed six people in central Istanbul, that Turkey has blamed on Kurdish militants.
“Our forces have nothing to do with the Istanbul bombing,” said Mazloum Abdi, the chief commander of the US-allied SDF.
Turkey considers US-backed SDF a “terrorist” group.
Entrance to Istiklal opens
The entrance to Istiklal Avenue was temporarily blocked by police until 3:45pm as politicians including the far-right opposition Victory Party leader Umit Ozdag visited the site of the blast, where flowers have been placed as a memorial site for the victims.
Istiklal was lined with Turkish flags, as many as 1,200 according to some accounts. The street had heavy police presence and was not as bustling as usual but there were still a great deal of pedestrians on the street after the entrance had re-opened.
The Beyoglu district municipality placed a sign on the wall reading “On November 13, 2022, a treacherous bomb attack was committed by the terrorists. We wish God’s mercy upon our citizens who lost their lives in the blast. We condemn terrorism as a nation targeting our unity and solidarity.”