The father of a suspected “Islamic State” militant has been detained for DNA tests and questioning. Two police officers were killed and 22 people injured in a suicide attack in Gaziantep.
The southern city of Gaziantep was targeted by a suspected jihadis on Sunday morning when bomb-laden car exploded at the entrance of the town’s police headquarters.
Although no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish security sources said police had raided the home of a suspected “Islamic State” (IS) militant, thought to be behind Sunday’s attack.
“The father of a suspect who is believed to have carried out the attack has been detained. We have records of the suspect’s links with Islamic State,” a security source said.
Reports of gunfire
The powerful blast was felt across the city on Sunday, causing windows in nearby buildings to shatter. Sources also said there were two vehicles carrying out the attack. While the suicide bomber was inside the detonated car, three men opened fire on police guarding the station from a second.
Ali Yerlikaya, governor of Gaziantep province, told CNN Turk that 19 police officers were among those 22 people injured in the attack. One officer died at the scene, while a second later passed away in hospital.
Sunday’s attacked was just one of several deadly bombings to hit Turkey in recent weeks, all of which were carried out by Kurdish or IS militants.
Kurdish militant attacks
The town of Gaziantep lies near Turkey’s border with Syria, and is a major hub for Syrians who have fled the war in their country. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in the city just last week to visit a refugee camp based in the town.
In a separate attack on Sunday, three Turkish soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded Kurdish militants launched an armed attack in the southeastern border town of Nusaybin. A fourth soldier was also killed in clashed with Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in the border province of Sirnak. The conflict between Turkish forces and the banned PKK picked up again last July after the collapse of a two-year ceasefire.
ksb/rc (Reuters, AFP)
