Turkey - Terrorism: Istanbul hit by suicide bomb attack - by Constanze Letsch

Istiklal Street,, Istanbul

The governor, of Istanbul , Vasip Şahin, confirmed     that a blast on Saturday morning had been caused by a suicide bomber who had set off the bomb close to the local district governor’s office on Istiklal Street, a pedestrian boulevard lined with international stores and restaurants.

CNNTurk reported that the bomb went off early and that the attacker had wanted to hit another target. According to the governor, one of those killed was the suicide bomber, and three of those injured were in critical condition.

Meanwhile, the Israeli foreign ministry has confirmed that there were Israeli citizens among the wounded.
Police sealed off the scene and helicopters were circling overhead as security forces investigated the area. Several ambulances rushed to the scene.

A witness told the Guardian that he heard a loud explosion and several injured people sprawled on the ground before running from the scene. Turkey’s broadcasting agency, RTÜK, has issued a broadcast ban.

The deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmuş, condemned the attack and vowed that Turkey would not be cowered by terrorism.

“They want to scare Turkey with these attacks,” he said during a visit in the Black Sea town of Ordu. “They want citizens to lock themselves in at home. They want citizens to be unable to leave the house. But no, they can do whatever they want, but we will not get used to terror.”

Read more: Istanbul hit by suicide bomb attack | World news | The Guardian