ANKARA, May 12 (RIA Novosti) - At least 43 people were killed on Saturday in twin blasts in Turkey, which the country’s top officials blamed on Syrian special services, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Two explosive devices, supposedly car bombs, went off on Saturday afternoon in Reyhanlı, a town near the border with Syria where many Syrian refugees have fled amid an ongoing civil conflict in their country. The blasts did serious damage to nearby buildings, causing one of them to collapse. The death toll currently stands at 43, and more than 100 people were injured.
Turkey’s NTV channel reported earlier in the day that five suspects were detained, and three of them were Syrians.
Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said on Saturday evening the suspects were linked to Syrian special services, Hurriyet reported.
“We have identified people linked to Reyhanlı blasts. They are linked to Syrian special forces,” Guler was quoted as saying. The minister added that the investigation was nearly over.
Turkish Deputy Prime Ministrer Besir Atalay confirmed the information, saying the suspects were linked to a Syrian intelligence organization, “known as the Mukhabarat” and “were from inside Turkey.”
“The organization is known, who they are is also known to a great extent. It is absolutely certain that [the attack] has nothing to do with Syrian refugees,” Hurriyet Daily News quoted Atalay as saying.
