Turkish Police Detain Some 120 Members of HDP Party After Deadly Istanbul Blast

A total of 118 members of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were detained over their alleged links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in a series of counterterrorism raids across Turkey, according to local media.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkish law enforcers have detained 118 members of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) following the deadly explosion in the city of Istanbul, local media reported Monday.

On Saturday, two bombs exploded near the Vodafone Arena Stadium in the Turkish largest city, killing at least 44 people, mostly police officers, and injuring about 150. The country's authorities claimed that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was tied with the twin blast.

A total of 118 HDP members had been detained over their alleged links with the PKK in a series of counterterrorism raids across the country, the Daily Sabah newspaper reported.

Some 500 police officers participated in anti-terror operations in the cities of Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Manisa and Mersin, the media outlet added.

Tensions between Ankara and Turkish Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed over a series of terrorist attacks, allegedly committed by PKK members.