Islamic State blamed in attack that kills 10 tourists in Istanbul

At least 10 people died a lot of them German tourists when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the heart of Istanbul.

The executive body of the European Union says it stands “united” with Turkey against “all forms of terrorism”, after a deadly bomb attack killed almost a dozen people in the country’s most populous city of Istanbul.

Turkey’s Dogan news agency said one person from Norway and a Peruvian were among those hurt, and Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said a South Korean had a finger injury.

Islamic State has targeted Turkey in the past, with two bombings previous year blamed on the radical Sunni Muslim group.

Turkey’s Haberturk TV said at least eight people were killed in the blast, but the cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said during a visit to Istanbul Wednesday: “According to the investigations so far, there are no indications that the attack was directed specifically against Germans, and so there can’t be a connection to our contribution to the fight against worldwide terrorism”. Among the dead were a number of German tourists.

Mr Erdogan, his son Bilal Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government have been accused supplying arms to Isis and profiting from the fundamentalist group’s illicit oil exports from the regions of Syria and Iraq under its control.

It is unclear if there was a link between the Russian arrests and the suicide bombing.

Turkish authorities identified the bomber as a Syrian born in 1988, who had recently entered Turkey and wasn’t among a list of potential bombers wanted by Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences after news broke that some victims were German tourists.

The explosion took place in Sultanahmet Square in the Fatih district, which is a popular tourist destination. “They attacked Sultanahmet to grab attention because this is what the world thinks of when it thinks of Turkey”, Yilmaz said.

“Until we wipe out Daesh, Turkey will continue its fight at home and with coalition forces”, he said in comments broadcast live on television, using an Arabic name for Islamic State. Last summer, two attacks – in June and July – left more than 30 people dead.