Istanbul bomb attack: Seven police officers, four civilians dead

Istanbul bomb attack: Seven police officers, four civilians dead

A bomb ripped through a Turkish police vehicle near Istanbul's historic centre today, killing seven officers and four civilians and adding to security concerns after a string of attacks in Turkey's biggest city.

The bomb targeted a service shuttle bus carrying officers from Istanbul's anti-riot police as it was passing through the central Beyazit district close to many of the city's top tourist sites, Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said in a live statement on Turkish television.

Thirty six people were wounded, three of them seriously, he added.

Reports said the explosion took place close to the Vezneciler metro station, which is within walking distance of some of the city's main tourist sites including the famed Suleymaniye Mosque.

The metro station was closed as a security precaution.

Pictures showed the bomb had turned the police vehicle into mangled wreckage and that nearby shops had their front windows smashed out by the force of the blast.(more)

6 killed, 20 injured in two bomb attacks in Turkey

Six persons, including two police officers, were killed and 20 others were injured in two bomb attacks in Turkey's Sirnak province on Monday, local media reported.

In the first attack, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants placed explosives under manhole cover and detonated it with remote control while a police vehicle was passing, killing four and injuring 19 people, Xinhua news agency reported.

Two police officers were killed and one other was injured in the second attack by the PKK members in Van province. The bomb was detonated with remote control targeting an armoured police car.Read More

12-year-old Sikh boy arrested in US after classmate accuses him of carrying a bomb

Armaan Singh Sarai, a 12-year-old boy from an American-Sikh family, was arrested by the Dallas police on December 11 and held for three consecutive days after he was accused by a “bully” in his class of carrying a bomb to school, claims his cousin in a Facebook post.  

Ginee Haer, who claims to be Armaan’s cousin, took to Facebook to describe the boy’s ordeal. Describing Armaan as a “goofball”, Haer tells us how her cousin was born and raised in Texas and recently moved to Dallas with his family. 

The post goes on to describe Armaan’s congenital heart condition, which has led him to having three open heart surgeries. This she said  had already made settling in a new location difficult. 

According to Haer, Armaan was arrested by the police on December 11 on the basis of an accusation by one of his school-mates. Haer writes: “A bully in class thought it would be funny to accuse him of having a bomb, and so the principal, without any questioning, interrogation, or notification to his parents, called the police.”

Haer goes on to describe how Armaan’s family contacted every police department in the area in a bid to locate him, only to find out that he had been sent to a juvenile facility.