by Stuart Williams with Raziye Akkok in Ankara Agence France Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish police launched a massive manhunt Sunday for a gunman who killed 39 people, including several foreigners, in a rampage at an upmarket nightclub in Istanbul where revellers were celebrating New Year. After the latest in a string of deadly attacks to hit the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the carnage sought to sow chaos, but vowed Turkey […]
Tag: Istanbul
Assassination in Turkey: what we know so far
Agence France-Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – The Russian ambassador to Ankara was shot dead in a brazen attack by a Turkish policeman in a cultural centre on Monday in what both sides branded an “act of terror.” The assassination, by a sharp-suited gunman shouting “Don’t forget Aleppo”, came after days of protests in Turkey over Russia’s role in Syria and on the eve of a unprecedented meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and […]
Two killed in bomb attack in southern Turkey
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – by Fulya OZERKAN A car bomb exploded in the car park of the governor’s office in the southern Turkish city of Adana Thursday killing two people and wounding 33, officials said, in the latest attack to rock Turkey this year. The explosion sparked a fire, with a cloud of dark smoke spewing into the sky, and caused damage to the governorate itself, state-run Anadolu news agency said, describing the blast as […]
Car bomb attack kills 18 at Turkish military checkpoint
ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Eighteen people were killed Sunday when a van packed with five tonnes of explosives blew up in Turkey’s restive southeast, the prime minister said, in an attack blamed on Kurdish militants. The bombing, which killed 10 soldiers and eight civilians, was one of the deadliest attacks on Turkish security forces since the attempted coup of July 15 when a rogue military faction tried to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “The attack […]
Turkey jails 32,000 in coup probe as mass trials loom
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – by Stuart WILLIAMS Turkey said Wednesday that courts have placed 32,000 suspects under arrest on charges of links to a group run by the US-based preacher blamed for July’s failed coup, as the country braces for the most extensive trials in its history. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told NTV television that 70,000 people had been investigated after the attempted putsch on July 15, 32,000 of them remanded in custody. “This process […]
Global alarm grows as 50,000 hit by Turkey purge
ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) – by Stuart WILLIAMS with Fulya OZERKAN in Istanbul Turkey faced fresh accusations it was flouting the rule of law with its purge of 50,000 people after an attempted coup, as the president gathered security chiefs Wednesday for the first time since the putsch. Authorities have rounded up or sacked tens of thousands of police, judges, teachers and other civil servants from across the state bureaucracy in the aftermath of Friday’s failed […]
Erdogan critics glad coup failed, fearful of backlash
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) by Fulya OZERKAN Three years ago, critics of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan rallied against him in mass protests. Last Friday they were appalled by a coup attempt against him. Now they fear what may come next. A gloomy mood pervades Istanbul’s chic, secular neighbourhood of Besiktas, a left-wing stronghold and centre of opposition against Erdogan. While most here have no taste for military rule and are grateful the putsch failed, they are […]
Odd jobs in Istanbul for young Syrians who dreamed big
by Marisol RIFAI ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Receptionist, waiter, hairdresser, pastry-seller: these are the jobs of the ambitious young Syrians who abandoned their dreams in Damascus to start from scratch in Istanbul. In Fatih, a densely-packed neighborhood that serves as a hub for Arabs in Turkey’s biggest city, the traces of home are everywhere. The delicate scent of Aleppo’s famous soap floats out of storefronts, mingling with the enticing aromas of the pistachio and almond […]
Istanbul airport bombers ‘planned hostage-taking’
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) by Katy Lee with Fulya Ozerkan in Ankara The suicide attackers who launched the deadly Istanbul airport assault were planning to take dozens of passengers hostage, Turkish media reported Friday, as two of the bombers were identified. Turkish officials have pointed blame at the Islamic State jihadist group for Tuesday’s gun and bomb spree at Ataturk airport, which left 44 people dead including 19 foreigners. “They say they are doing this […]
Tunisian killed in Istanbul attack seeking IS-linked son
TUNIS , Tunisia (AFP) — A Tunisian killed in the Istanbul airport attack blamed on the Islamic State group was in Turkey to secure the release of his son detained for joining the jihadists, diplomats said Wednesday. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim quickly pointed the finger at IS over Tuesday’s attack, which killed at least 41 people and wounded 239, although no group has claimed responsibility. One of the dead was a Tunisian identified as […]
41 dead in Istanbul airport carnage blamed on IS
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) by Katy Lee with Fulya Ozerkan in Ankara Turkey pointed the finger of blame at Islamic State jihadists Wednesday after suicide bombers armed with automatic rifles attacked Istanbul’s main international airport, killing 41 people, including foreigners. Witnesses described scenes of terror and panic on Tuesday evening as the attackers began shooting indiscriminately and then blew themselves up at the entrance to Ataturk airport, one of Europe’s busiest hus. The assault, which comes at […]
Turkey arrests 12 in bid to identify female bomber: report
ANKARA , Turkey (AFP) — Turkish police on Thursday arrested 12 suspects as they stepped up efforts to identify a female bomber who blew herself up in the city of Bursa, wounding 13 people, state media said. The arrests took place in Bursa, Istanbul, the southeastern city of Sanliurfa and Afyon in central Turkey, Anatolia news agency said. Wednesday’s bombing, the latest attack to strike Turkey, took place near Bursa’s 14th century Grand Mosque, a […]





