Istanbul blast caused by Syrian suicide bomber, says Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the blast that killed 10 people and wounded 15 in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district was thought to have been triggered by a suicide bomber of Syrian origin.

Turkish police have sealed off the square, which is close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, in an area popular with tourists.

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

Erdogan said in a televised speech: “I condemn the terror incident in Istanbul, assessed to be an attack by a suicide bomber with Syrian origin.”

Images have emerged showing bodies lying on the ground and according to local media reports, 10 German tourists were killed, while six German, one Norwegian and a Peruvian were wounded.

103 people were killed in Turkey in October when suicide bombers attacked a crowd of peace and democracy activists in the capital of Ankara.

This marked the deadliest terror attack in Turkey’s modern history and was blamed on Islamic State.