- Title: One of Istanbul blasts was suspected suicide bomb: Turkish interior minister
- Date: 10th December 2016
- Summary: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (DECEMBER 11, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FORENSICS WORKING AT BLAST SITE
- Embargoed: 25th December 2016 22:21
- Keywords: Turkey explosion casualties interior minister Suleyman Soylu
- Location: ISTANBUL, TURKEY
- City: ISTANBUL, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Reuters ID: LVA0025CAWUH3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: One of two explosions that struck outside an Istanbul soccer stadium on Saturday (December 10) night was thought to have been caused by a suicide bomber, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters in comments on television.
The suspected suicide bomber struck in Macka park, next to the Vodafone Arena, home to Istanbul's Besiktas soccer team, while the second explosion hit directly outside the stadium, Soylu said, describing the attack as a "cruel attack".
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Islamic State, Kurdish and far-leftist militants have all carried out bomb attacks in recent years. The NATO member is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria, and is battling an insurgency by Kurdish militants in its southeast.
Three separate security sources said at least 13 people had been killed but there was no official confirmation of this. Soylu said he would make a statement on the death toll later.
He had earlier said that around 20 people were wounded and that initial indications were that a car bomb targeting a police bus was responsible for one of the blasts. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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