Turkish PM says Syrian bomber behind Istanbul blast which killed 10

“We have to assume that dead and injured from our tour group are among the victims”, Marco Scherer said.

Born in 1988, the man responsible for the blast was not among the thousands being tracked by Turkish authorities, having “newly (come) into Turkey from Syria”, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said. The same source said that the provincial governor’s office reported 15 wounded in an large explosion that occurred near Sultanahmet Square at 10.20 a.m. local time (08:20GMT). While it’s not known if the bomber targeted any one nationality, the idea of terrorists targeting tourists is not new – as illustrated in last March’s attack on Tunis’ Bardo Museum and June’s mass shooting at a Tunisian beachfront hotel.

In a lengthy attack on “intellectuals” and those who criticise Turkey’s human rights record, he said either people were with the government fighting terrorists including ISIL and the Kurdish PKK, or they were on the side of “those with bombs and guns” and would be “punished”.

“We have a free society… but there are people who want us harmed”, said Merkel, referring to the Tunisia attacks and the more recent ones targeting civilians in Paris. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of government rules, said the explosion was believed to be “terror-linked”. Those explosions killed as many as 100 people and injured more than 240 more.

The U.S. has condemned the deadly suicide bomb attack in Istanbul’s historic district and says it is committed to working with Turkey to combat the Islamic State group.

Davutoglu said the death toll of 10 did not include the suicide bomber.

There have been no reports so far of any Singaporeans directly affected by the explosion in Istanbul, said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesman today (Jan 12).

Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and a Peruvian were among the wounded, while Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said one South Korean had a finger injury.

“Witnesses have said that the blast was heard from other neighbourhoods”, he said.

Just over a year ago, a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a police station for tourists off the same square, killing one officer.

Turkey’s state-run news agency said Davutoglu held a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel to express his condolences.

Private NTV television said the explosion was close to a park that is home to a landmark obelisk.