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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Five suspects arrested in London on suspicion of terror related offences

London police have arrested a total of five persons in connection with terror related activities. Four of them were arrested in Birmingham - they were three men aged 26, 40 and 59 and a 29-year-old woman. The fifth, a 26-year-old man, was held at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of terror offenses.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 15 April 2016.

It is understood that these are the first arrests in the UK that has links with the atrocities in Paris and Brussels. Assistant Chief Constable who leads on counter-terrorism for the West Midlands, has indicated that the investigation involved MI5 and Belgian and French authorities and that the arrests were pre-planned. There was "no risk to the public at any time". Moreover, there is no information that would tend to suggest that an attack was being planned in the UK.
The five suspects are being held in the West Midlands, where they are being questioned by specialist officers. The police are, simultaneously, searching several properties in Birmingham as a part of the investigation.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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