Istanbul bombings ‘suspects held’

A number of people have been arrested over last Sunday’s double bombings in Istanbul that killed 17 people, Turkey’s interior minister says.

Besir Atalay blamed Kurdish separatist rebels for the blasts, and said most of those involved had been detained.

Although he did not specify how many people had been arrested, a prosecutor said separately that eight suspects should be charged with PKK membership.

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has denied any role in the attacks.

But security services say the blasts bore the hallmarks of the Kurdish rebels.

The unnamed prosecutor asked an Istanbul court to charge eight suspects arrested in connection with the bombings of belonging to the PKK, and release the remaining two, Turkey’s semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

‘No room for doubt’

Speaking next to a display of weapons, computer hard drives and other items collected from the homes of the suspects, Mr Atalay cited “strong evidence” against them.

A big part of the perpetrators were arrested in the light of strong evidence that doesn’t leave any room for doubt Besir Atalay Turkish interior minister

“Our judgement is that this merciless attack was the work of the bloody separatist group,” he said.

“Those who helped, those who gave shelter and those who took part in the attack have been caught.”

“I’m pleased to tell you that the entire plot is illuminated; a big part of the perpetrators were arrested in the light of strong evidence that doesn’t leave any room for doubt.”

The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and EU, as well as Turkey.

Children among dead

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier implied the separatist group was to blame for the bombings, saying they were a “cost” of the government’s military campaign against the rebels.

But PKK leader Zubeyir Aydar said his group was not linked to the attacks, suggesting they might have been carried out by “dark forces”, in an apparent reference to ultra-nationalists.

Sunday’s blasts occurred about 10 minutes apart on a busy pedestrian street in Gungoren. Five children were among the dead.

They were the worst such attacks in Turkey since 2003, when al Qaeda carried out a series of bombings in Istanbul.

Some 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK launched its campaign for self-rule in mainly Kurdish south-east Turkey in 1984.

Turkey’s military has staged regular bombing raids into northern Iraq in recent weeks, bombing areas of the mountains where the PKK has bases.

US presses for end to Turkey raid

Turkey’s incursion into northern Iraq “should be as short and precisely targeted as possible”, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said. Mr Gates was speaking after talks with top Turkish officials in Ankara.

Turkey earlier said there was no timetable for an end to its offensive targeting Kurdish PKK separatists.

Baghdad has said that the Turkish military operation – that was launched last week – was unacceptable and violated Iraq’s sovereignty.

The Turkish military says its goal is to destroy bases of PKK rebels, who want a homeland in south-east Turkey.

On Tuesday, Ankara said 77 rebels and five of its soldiers had been killed in clashes. It said 230 rebels and 24 soldiers had been killed since the offensive was launched on Thursday.

The PKK rebels say they have killed at least 81 Turkish soldiers. Neither report can be independently verified.

More than 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK began their campaign in 1984.

Ankara says as many as 3,000 PKK members use northern Iraq as a safe haven.

The US, the EU and Turkey consider the PKK to be a terrorist organisation.