Syrian Man Identified as Istanbul Suicide Bomb Attacker

A blast in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Tuesday, which left at least 10 dead and 15 injured, was carried out by a Syrian suicide bomber born in 1988, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said after an emergency meeting on security in connection with the incident.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the explosion on Istanbul’s central square a terrorist act, claiming an explosive device was detonated by a suicide bomber from Syria.

"It is proved that the blast has been carried out by a Syrian suicide bomber born in 1988, fragments of his body have been found at the scene," Kurtulmus said at a briefing in Ankara aired by the CNN Turk broadcaster.

According to Turkish media, law enforcers believe the Islamic State, known as Daesh in the Arab world and prohibited in numerous countries including the United States and Russia, was behind the deadly blast in a touristic part of the city.