Seven police officers and four civilians were killed and 36 others were wounded in a massive explosion Tuesday morning at the Vezneciler metro station in the Beyazit district in Istanbul. Three of the injured were in critical condition.
The attack took place on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in a nation led by a government that has grown increasingly observant of Islamic cultural mores and restrictions.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nachshon, no Israelis were killed or injured in the terror attack, “according to the information we have from our Consulate.”
A car bomb detonated at around 8:35 am as a police bus passed a police station while heading to Istanbul University for regular duty, according to Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin.
Police evacuated the area and exams scheduled for the day at the nearby university were cancelled.
Security was increased in the Vezneciler neighborhood where the attack took place, and bomb disposal teams were sent to the site. Gunshots were heard immediately following the blast, the Anadolu news agency reported.
There has not yet been any claim of responsibility for the attack. However, Turkey has been a prime target for the Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK terror organization, as well as Da’esh (ISIS) in recent months.
