At least six were killed and over 50 injured in an explosion in the heart of Türkiye’s largest city, the president said
The explosion in Istanbul on Sunday was likely a terrorist attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. The blast on the iconic Istiklal Avenue, a busy pedestrian street in the historic center of the city, killed six people and left at least 53 injured, Erdogan told a media conference.
“It would be wrong to say this is undoubtedly a terrorist attack but the initial developments and initial intelligence from my governor is that it smells like terrorism,” the president said.
Erdogan condemned the “treacherous attack” and vowed to bring those behind the blast to justice, adding that early information indicated that “a woman” played a role in the explosion. While the president did not elaborate on the matter, video footage circulating on social media – which has not been officially verified – suggests the explosion was allegedly a suicide bombing.
The Turkish leader said authorities were currently working to find the culprits behind the deadly attack.
“Efforts to defeat Turkey and the Turkish people through terrorism will fail today just as they did yesterday and as they will fail again tomorrow,” Erdogan said.
Turkish authorities have urged the media and public to rely only on official information about the incident, with the Turkish Broadcasting Authority (RTÜK) cautioning against spreading “false information unknowingly.” Additionally, authorities have banned news channels and social networking services from broadcasting images of the deadly explosion.
Shortly after the blast, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a terrorism probe into the incident. Prosecutors have also launched an investigation into “provocative posts” on social media related to the explosion.
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