Person behind deadly Istanbul bombing arrested, says minister

Police have arrested a suspect who is believed to have planted the bomb that exploded on a bustling pedestrian avenue in Istanbul, Turkey’s interior minister Süleyman Soylu said on Nov. 14.

“Our assessment is that the order for the deadly terror attack came from Ayn al-Arab in northern Syria, where the PKK/YPG has its Syrian headquarters,” said Soylu.

Six people were killed and 81 people were wounded in Sunday’s explosion on İstiklal Avenue, a popular thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants that leads to the iconic Taksim Square.

“A little while ago, the person who left the bomb was detained by our Istanbul Police Department teams,” Soylu said.

He did not identify the suspect but said 21 other people were also detained for questioning.

He said the attack would be avenged.

“Those who made us go through this pain in Istiklal Avenue will be inflicted much more pain,” Soylu said.

Soylu also blamed the United States, saying a condolence message from the White House was akin to a “killer being first to show up at a crime scene.”

Soylu said of the 81 people who were hospitalized, 50 were discharged.

Five of the wounded were receiving emergency care and two of them were in life-threatening condition, he said.