TURKEY-ATTACK/AFTERMATH Female suicide bomber hits police station in Istanbul, kills one

Record ID: 355123

  • Title: TURKEY-ATTACK/AFTERMATH Female suicide bomber hits police station in Istanbul, kills one
  • Date: 6th January 2015
  • Summary: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (JANUARY 6, 2014) (REUTERS) VIEW OF THE SITE, POLICE FORCES ARRIVING AT SCENE AMBULANCE AT SITE, LIGHTS FLASHING POLICEMEN BEHIND BARRICADE TAPE VARIOUS OF EMERGENCY VEHICLES AND SECURITY FORCES AT SITE SPECIAL POLICE FORCES AT SITE VARIOUS OF EMERGENCY VEHICLES AND SECURITY FORCES AT SITE POLICEMEN MOUNTING SECURITY BEHIND SECURITY CORDON VARIOUS OF EMERG
  • Embargoed: 21st January 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA9CHQ6IDDXLG7SF6X0LSHGZ6LQ
  • Story Text: A female suicide bomber blew herself up inside a police station in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district on Tuesday, killing one officer and wounding another, the city's governor.
    Turkish media later said one of the officers died from his wounds.
    Police sealed off the street where Tuesday's attack happened
    The woman spoke english as she entered the building but her nationality and identity were unknown, Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters at the scene.
    "A female suicide bomber entered the police station at the tourism office and blew herself up. A police officer, Kenan Kumas, is critically wounded and being treated in hospital. Another police officer is slightly wounded. They are working on the identity (of the attacker). She asked a question in english when she entered the office but it is not clear yet if she is a Turkish citizen or not. Officers are working on the technical details and we will give you further information later," Sahin said.
    Turkish media later said one of the officers died from his wounds.
    There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the bombing comes less than a week after far-left group DHKP-C said it was behind a grenade attack on police near the prime minister's office in Istanbul.
    The DHKP-C (Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front) had warned of further strikes after last Thursday's attack, in which a man carrying an automatic weapon was detained near the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce Palace.
    The group was also behind a suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy last year as well as attacks on Turkish police stations.
    Turkey faces other security threats.
    Some of the thousands of foreign fighters who have joined the ranks of Islamic State militants in neighbouring Syria and Iraq have entered via Turkey, raising concerns that they could return and strike on Turkish soil.
    There have also been clashes in predominantly Kurdish southeastern Turkey in recent weeks between members of Kurdish Islamist party and youths linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has also carried out urban attacks in the past.
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