Ankara Bombings Were Designed to Derail Turkish Parliamentary Elections

The aim of the recent bombings in the Turkish capital, Ankara, was to disrupt parliamentary election scheduled for November 1, the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor said Wednesday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — On October 10, twin suicide bombing occurred outside a central train station in Ankara, claiming the lives of at least 102 people.

"The aim of the terrorist attack was to disrupt the upcoming elections, violate political stability in the country and by all means prevent formation of the permanent government as a result of election," the statement from the public prosecutor’s office reads.

According to the statement, the bombings in Ankara were organized by an Islamic State cell in Gaziantep — province in southern Turkey near the Syrian border — which had planned to carry out terrorist attacks across the country.

Some 13 suspects have been detained, all of whom are believed to have links to the Islamic State jihadist group, notorious for beheadings, abductions, and mass killings in Syria and Iraq.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a snap parliamentary election on November 1, as the parties that won seats in the June elections failed to to form a coalition.