‘Terror attack’ kills 10 in Istanbul’s tourist heart

Police move people on as they secure an area at the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul on 12 January after an explosion - AFP 

AFP: Ten people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected terror attack in Istanbul’s tourist hub on Tuesday, officials said, with the country on edge after a wave of deadly jihadist bombings.

The powerful blast rocked the Sultanahmet neighbourhood which is home to Istanbul’s biggest concentration of monuments and is visited by tens of thousands of tourists every day.

“Terrorist links are suspected,” a Turkish official told AFP, asking not to be named.

Ambulances and police were despatched to Sultanahmet, which is home to world-famous monuments including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, while police helicopters hovered above.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu convened an emergency security meeting of key ministers and officials, including powerful Interior Minister Efkan Ala and spy chief Hakan Fidan.

Turkey has been on high alert after a series of attacks blamed on the Islamic State jihadist group including a double suicide bombing in the capital Ankara in October that left 103 people dead.

The Istanbul governor’s office said in a statement quoted by the Dogan news agency that 10 people were killed and 15 wounded in Tuesday’s blast.

“Investigations into the cause of the explosion, the type of explosion and perpetrator or perpetrators are under way,” the governor’s office said. 

Images published by Dogan showed several apparently dead bodies lying on the ground.

The identities of those killed and hurt were were not immediately clear although unconfirmed reports said the injured included two Germans and one Norwegian tourist.