Turkey detains 3 Russians, dozens of suspected jihadists after bombing

Turkey has arrested nine people, including three Russians, suspected of being Islamic State members following a suicide bomb attack in Istanbul that killed 10.

One person was detained late on Tuesday as part of the investigation, Ala said, but gave no details.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Islamist, leftist and Kurdish militants, who are battling Ankara in southeast Turkey, have all carried out attacks in the past.

“There is no reason for any German citizen to cancel their trip to Turkey”.

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.

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry said Mr. Fadli was born in Saudi Arabia, but left the country with his family when he was eight years old.

Osman Orsal / ReutersPolice officers secure the area after an explosion near the Ottoman-era Sultanahmet mosque, known as the Blue mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 12, 2016.

Turkey – which has faced criticism it has been slow to tackle Islamic State – has arrested more than 3 300 people in operations against the extremist group, including 220 people in the week prior to the attack, Ala said.

Over the last two days, Turkish security forces reportedly arrested 68 suspected Daesh members across the country.

Turkish authorities also arrested dozens of terrorism suspects, including three Russians, in raids across the country, the Anatolia News Agency reported.

The Russian Foreign Ministry in November said 2,719 Russians had left for Syria to fight for ISIS.

Turkey, which like Germany is a member of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL, has become a target for the group.

Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also warned its nationals to keep away from public places and tourist attractions.

Pope Francis has invited the faithful to pray for the victims of a suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed 10 foreigners, mostly German tourists.

Ala confirmed reports that the bomber had registered with a refugee agency, providing fingerprints that allowed officials to quickly identify him, but said the suicide bomber wasn’t on any Turkish or worldwide watch lists for ISIS militants.

‘After the incident on Tuesday, close to 500 artillery and tank shells were fired on Daesh positions in Syria and Iraq, ‘ Davutoglu said, using the Arabic name for Islamic State, which the terrorist organisation intensely dislike.

The Diyarbakir Governor’s Office issued a statement saying the PKK – the Kurdistan Workers’ Party – was a prime suspect in the bombing.