Turkiye Authorities Arrest and Investigate Female Suspect in Istanbul Explosion Incident

[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] On the 13th (local time), CNN reported that the suspect in the explosion incident that occurred in a busy area of Istanbul, the largest city in T?rkiye (Turkey), was apprehended by Turkish authorities.

Bekir Bozda?, T?rkiye's Minister of Justice, stated that security authorities have arrested and are investigating a woman suspected to be the suspect. Minister Bozda? explained that the woman sat on a bench in the area where the explosion occurred for more than 40 minutes, left a bag on the bench, and then got up; the explosion happened about 1 to 2 minutes later.

Minister Bozda? said, "There are two possibilities," adding, "The bag itself may have exploded because it contained a device that caused the explosion, or someone else may have detonated the bag at the location where it was left." He said, "We are investigating all these possibilities."

Minister Bozda? further added, "The woman's name has not been confirmed, and we are analyzing all records and materials."

On the same day, an unexplained explosion occurred on Istiklal Street in the Beyo?lu district, a busy area of Istanbul, killing at least six people and injuring 81.

Fahrettin Koca, T?rkiye's Minister of Health, tweeted that among the 81 injured in the explosion, 39 have completed treatment and been discharged, while five of the remaining 42 hospitalized are in intensive care, with two in critical condition.

Istiklal Street, where the incident occurred, is a popular tourist area and was crowded because it was Sunday, CNN reported.

Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, President of T?rkiye, condemned the explosion as a terrorist act, calling it a "vile and evil attack that occurred on a busy street on Sunday," and stated, "The perpetrators will be punished."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.