The blast occurred on Istiklal street in Istanbul on Sunday afternoon. According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at least six people were killed.
According to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, the suspect is in custody and preliminary information indicates that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its military wing YPG, both of which are designated by Ankara as terrorist organizations, are behind the terrorist act.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Sunday that the explosion, qualified as a terrorist act by the authorities, left 81 people injured, 39 of them have already been released from hospitals.
Police patrol streets of central Istanbul following explosion in Istiklal street, November 13, 2022
© Sputnik / Maxim Durnev
Soylu said that 50 of those injured have been released from hospitals. The interior minister stressed that both the organizers and the perpetrators of the terrorist act will receive a "harsh response."
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said a woman, who was spotted sitting on a bench in Istiklal and left right before the blast occurred, leaving a bag, was suspected of having carried out the terrorist act in Istanbul on Sunday.