Seven People Detained Linked With Istanbul Bombing: Turkish Minister

Seven Germans are still recovering from their injuries, five of them in intensive care.

This was announced by Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala on Wednesday during a joint press conference with his German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere.

In a statement Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said that the United States stands with NATO-ally Turkey, a “valued member” of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, and pledges “our ongoing cooperation and support in the fight against terrorism” in the face of the Istanbul attack.

“Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally, is a vital friend of the United Kingdom and a critical partner in tackling Islamist extremism, as we have seen so tragically in Istanbul this week”, British foreign office quoted Hammond saying a day before his scheduled visit to Ankara. Then, they said he was Saudi.

Five people have been arrested in connection with the attack: Ala said one person has been arrested; later, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said four others had been detained.

The bomber, identified as a member of Islamic State who had entered Turkey as a refugee from Syria, blew himself up on Tuesday among tourists visiting some of Istanbul’s most popular attractions.

Germany committed Tornado reconnaissance jets to the military effort against the Islamic State group in Syria following the November attacks in Paris, and started flying missions from the Incirlik air base in Turkey last week. Officials confirmed that the bomber registered with a refugee agency in Turkey, but was not on any Turkish or global IS watch lists.

The Islamic State and other militant factions have waged similar attacks targeting tourist sites in other countries, including an armed siege of Tunisia’s renowned Bardo Museum last March that claimed more than 20 lives, many European visitors.

Davutoglu praised the German group’s Turkish guide who, according to the Hurriyet newspaper, yelled “run” after seeing the bomber standing among the tourists and pulling a pin on his explosives, enabling some of them to get away. De Maiziere said those talks will now also address “the determined fight against terrorism”.

The three Russian nationals arrested in the city of Antalya are reported to have been in contact with IS fighters and were seized alongside documents and weapons.

Turkey has been hit by a string of deadly attacks blamed on extremists over the past year, including a double suicide bombing in October in Ankara that killed more than 100 people. “Germany is the country which has sent us most of the tourists in 2015”, Dinler said. Some IS fighters of Russian origin are believed to have left IS to settle in Turkey, families say.

German Foreign Ministry Deputy spokeswoman Sawsah Chebli told reporters on Wednesday that the number of German citizens killed by the terrorist attack had increased to 10.

“Though Turkish intelligence, security offices are doing their best 24/7 fighting with ISIS, it is not easy for any country, for any intelligence service, for any security measures to stop all attacks”, the Turkish official said.