An explosion in central Istanbul killed eight people wounded 81; the authorities suspect the involvement of a woman

Istanbul police have arrested 46 people in connection with the explosion in the busy Istiklal Avenue of Turkey’s largest city. At least eight people died in the blast while 81 others suffered injuries. Interior minister Suleyman Soylu revealed that the suspects included the “person who left the bomb that caused the explosion.” The authorities suspect the involvement of a woman. She admitted being trained by Kurdish militants in Syria and had gained entry into Turkey through northwest Syria’s Afrin region. Security sources say two other Syrian nationals were involved in the attack. The police captured the woman, in her late 20s or early 30s, from the place where she was staying. Istanbul police checked the security cameras near the site of the explosion. They have also conducted raids at different addresses where the female suspect had links. Turkish police arrest 46 people over Istanbul explosion.

Kurdish separatists, ISIL (ISIS), and other groups have targeted Istanbul and other Turkish cities in the past. These included a series of attacks in 2015 and 2016. In December 2016, twin bombings outside an Istanbul football stadium killed 38 people and wounded 155. Countries like Azerbaijan, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Pakistan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States condemned the latest attack. Greece “unequivocally” denounced the blast and expressed condolences, while the US said it stood “shoulder-to-shoulder with our NATO ally in countering terrorism.” French President Emmanuel Macron said - “We share your pain. We stand with you in the fight against terrorism.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine tweeted - “The pain of the friendly Turkish people is our pain.” European Council President Charles Michel tweeted - “My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

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Security beefed up for Munich Oktoberfest 2016

Oktoberfest 2016 is the world's biggest beer festival and Munich is taking precautions to prevent any terrorist attack in the event that is expected to attract more than six million visitors. Backpacks and large bags have been banned and the number of security cameras has risen from 19 to 29.
It has opened with long queues to get into the beer tents and will continue till 3 October.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 17 September 2016.

The venue of the festival is the 75-acre Theresienwiese site and every visitor has to go through security checks that is conducted by a team of 450 guards. During peak periods, there will be 600 police officers - this will be nearly 100 more than last year.
The security services continue to remain on high alert after Bavaria was hit by three attacks in a week in July, two of which were claimed by Islamic State. In one instance, a 17-year-old, who had sought asylum in Germany, was shot dead by police after he ran amok with an axe and knife on a train near the city of Wuerzburg. He left five people wounded, three of them seriously.
There are a total of 14 halls at this year's event, which dates back to 1810. In spite of the wet weather conditions, people began to queue up at 4:30 am because they were keen to see the mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter tap the first keg at noon.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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