Three People Died in Bomb Attack in Istanbul

Three people died in a bomb attack on a shuttle bus in the district of Halkalı on the European side of Istanbul this morning (22 June). The bus had a civil plate and was used for the transportation of military staff. Two special sergeants and the daughter of a military officer on her way to school lost their lives in the bomb explosion. 15 people are wounded, two of them are in critical condition.

According to recent information from the Turkish news channel NTV, a cluster bomb placed on the side of the hard shoulder was brought to an explosion at around 7.30 am. The incident happened on the connection road from the military housings to the Trans European Motorway in an uninhabited area.

The Governor of Istanbul, Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, announced that a 17-year-old girl was among the casualties. The cluster bomb was detonated with a remote control at 7.15 this morning.

According to Mutlu, it is not clear yet who carried out this wide-scale operation and nobody has been arrested yet. Doğan News Agency (DHA) on the other hand reported before Mutlu's statement that one person had been arrested.

An eyewitness told Sema Kiper from NTV that s/he saw a person running towards the forest after the explosion. Journalists are not allowed to enter the site.

Furthermore, a noise bomb exploded in an office building in Beyoğlu (European side of Istanbul) and caused minor material damage. As reported by CNN Türk, another noise bomb detonated in Okmeydanı (Istanbul, European side) causing minor material damage. (EÖ/VK)