Bomber With 'Syrian Roots' Kills 10 in Heart of Istanbul

Turkey President blames Syrian suicide bomber
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 12, 2016 4:15 AM CST
Updated Jan 12, 2016 6:33 AM CST
Blast Kills 10 Heart of Istanbul
Policemen secure the historic Sultanahmet district as ambulances arrive after an explosion in Istanbul on Tuesday.   (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

A Syrian suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists Tuesday morning, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 others, said Turkish officials. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in televised remarks that both Turks and foreigners were among the dead in the explosion in the Sultanahmet district. "I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," Erdogan said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said the bomber was a 28-year-old Syrian national. He said most of the people who died were foreigners. It was unclear whether the death toll of 10 included the alleged bomber.

The Sultanahmet neighborhood is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, although the Islamic State was suspected. Kurdish militants and left-wing groups also are active in Turkey, and the country is dealing with more than 2 million Syrian refugees and a wave of migrants from Syria and other countries pouring across Turkey to Europe. The Turkish Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian, and one Peruvian were among the wounded. (More Turkey stories.)

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