Bomb attack at Turkish police station; dozens hurt

Turkey’s Prime Minister says four more people have now been arrested in connection with a suicide bombing in the city of Istanbul.

The suicide bomber, who has been identified as Syrian linked to Islamic State (IS), blew himself up in the popular tourist area of Sultanahmet square in central Istanbul. It carried out two major suicide attacks a year ago, including one in the capital, Ankara, in October that killed more than 100 people.

It said he was identified by a sample of a finger taken from the blast site. Reports accused Turkey of becoming a conduit for financial support to jihadists, turning a blind eye to their entry into Syria and even supplying weapons.

Efkan Ala said during a news conference with his German counterpart that the suspect was detained late Tuesday.

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 global terrorism”.

“Close to 200 Daesh members including so-called regional leaders were neutralized in the last 48 hours”, he added, assuring the ambassadors that “every attack that targets Turkey’s guests will be punished”.

Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that a Russian man arrested after this week’s deadly İstanbul bombing is suspected of having links to ISIL and that such extremists “feel comfortable” in Turkey.

Turkish authorities have blamed the Istanbul attack on the terrorist group ISIS – although Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday, somewhat mysteriously, that ISIS had not been the primary actor.

Shortly before the 34th Ottoman Empire King was scheduled to appear in public, his departure was suddenly delayed for a minute and the bomb went off early, killing 26 and wounding 58 people.

“Given how much time the Islamic State has had to administer explosives training in Raqqa, Mosul, and elsewhere, the group is likely not running low on bomb-makers or suicide mission volunteers”, the firm said.

“Israel is in need of a country like Turkey in the region”, Erdogan said in remarks to Turkish reporters published in leading dailies Saturday.

The Haberturk newspaper published what it said was a CCTV image of the bomber, named in some local media as Saudi-born Nabil Fadli, at an Istanbul immigration office on January 5.