Tourists Killed in Terrorist Attack on Istanbul’s Historic District
by Donald Wood of travelpulse.com
Tragedy struck Tuesday morning when a Syrian man allegedly detonated a bomb that killed at least 10 people and wounded 15 others in a popular tourist section of Istanbul’s historic district.
According to Lefteris Pitarakis and Suzan Fraser of the Associated Press, the suspected suicide bomber detonated his explosive device at around 10:20 a.m. local time, killing at least nine German tourists in the blast.
Turkish news agencies are reporting German chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu about the attack, and that Merkel claimed that the victims were part of a travel group from Germany.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan released a statement following Tuesday’s attack, saying, “I strongly condemn the terror incident that occurred in Istanbul, at the Sultanahmet Square, and which has been assessed as being an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber.”
The explosion took place near the famous Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, and reports suggest the blast could be heard from several neighborhoods. The AP also reported that local news outlets claim one Norwegian, one South Korean and one Peruvian have been treated for wounds suffered in the bombing.
