Istanbul Bomber Identified As Turkish Member of Islamic State Mehmet Ozturk

A Turkish member of the Islamic State (IS) militant group was responsible for the suicide bombing in Istanbul that killed three Israelis and an Iranian and wounded dozens of others, Turkey's Interior Minister says.

Efkan Ala identified the bomber as a man born in the southern province of Gaziantep, adding that five people have been detained so far in relation to the bombing.

"We have determined that Mehmet Ozturk, born in 1992 in Gaziantep, has carried out the heinous attack on Saturday in Istanbul," Mr Ala said.

"It has been established that he is a member of Daesh," he added, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Police were on high alert across Turkey on Sunday in the wake of the attack.

Streets across Istanbul — usually bustling with traffic and pedestrians on Sundays — were eerily quiet apart from the sound of police helicopters buzzing overhead. Television footage showed Istiklal Street virtually empty........ Read More