State TV says bomb attack targets police vehicle in Istanbul

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State TV says bomb attack targets police vehicle in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (AP) — A bomb attack in Istanbul on Tuesday has targeted a vehicle carrying riot police, Turkish state media reports said.

It was not immediately clear if the explosion caused any casualties but reports said several ambulances were sent to the scene.

The explosion occurred at an intersection near an Istanbul University building in the city's Beyazit district during the morning rush hour.

There was no immediate responsibility claim.

The rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have been targeting police and military targets since July, when a fragile peace process collapsed. The Islamic State group has also been blamed for a series of deadly bombings in Turkey.

The PKK is fighting for autonomy for Turkey's Kurds in the southeast of the country. It has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state in a conflict that has claimed 40,000 lives. The group is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its allies.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-06-07

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ISTANBUL (AP) - A top Turkish official says a car bomb attack targeted a police vehicle in Istanbul has killed 11 people.

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Turkey: ’11 dead’ in Istanbul car bomb – city governor



ISTANBUL: -- At least 11 people have been killed, and 36 others are wounded, in a suspected car bomb attack in Istanbul, according to the city governor.

Reports suggest a car packed with explosives was detonated by remote control as a Turkish police bus passed by in the central district of Vezneciler.

Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters near the scene that seven of the dead were police officers. Three of the wounded are in a critical condition, he added.

The blast occurred during the morning rush hour near Istanbul university and the city’s historic quarter, a major draw for tourists.

Turkish television has broadcast mobile phone footage of a blackened and mangled vehicle on the street.

There has been no claim of responsibility. Kurdish militants, ISIL and radical leftists have been behind recent attacks in Turkey.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-06-07

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11 dead + 36 injured. My money is on the jihad grubs of ISIS.