At least 11 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a bus carrying Turkish police was hit by a car bomb in Istanbul this morning.
The blast took place during rush hour in the city's historic Beyazit centre, a popular tourist area.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was "unforgivable" to target officers whose jobs were to protect others.
"We shall continue our fight against terrorists tirelessly until the end," he said.
Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also condemned the attack, pointing out that it had come on the second day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. "They are cold-heartedly exploding bombs on a Ramadan day," he said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Suspicion has fallen on Islamic State, Kurdish militant groups and left-wing extremists, all of whom "have recently orchestrated attacks in Turkey", says The Independent.
According to the BBC's Mark Lowen, the "most likely culprit" is the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has claimed previous attacks on security forces. A fragile ceasefire between Kurds and the government collapsed last July.
This is the fourth such attack in Istanbul this year but, as of this afternoon, authorities were refusing to comment on who may have been behind the attack and a news blackout had been imposed "preventing media from reporting details of the investigation", reports The Guardian.
Graphic created by Statista for The Week UK
-
Music reviews: Chance the Rapper, Cass McCombs, and Molly TuttleFeature "Star Line," "Interior Live Oak," and "So Long Little Miss Sunshine"
-
Film reviews: Eden and Honey Don't!Feature Seekers of a new utopia spiral into savagery and a queer private eye prowls a high-desert town
-
Critics' choice: Three chefs fulfilling their ambitionsFeature Kwame Onwuachi's grand second act, Travis Lett makes a comeback, and Jeff Watson's new Korean restaurant
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talksspeed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Dozens dead in Kashmir as terrorists target touristsSpeed Read Visitors were taking pictures and riding ponies in a popular mountain town when assailants open fired, killing at least 26
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
