Istanbul: Explosion in central square kills at least 10
Istanbul (CNN)An explosion rocked a central square in Istanbul on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 others, the Istanbul governor's office said. Officials feared the toll may include foreign nationals.

The city's Sultanahmet Square was swarming with security forces and ambulances in the aftermath of the blast. The heavily guarded area is Istanbul's tourist hub -- the cultural and historic heart of the city. The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are located there.

"Investigations continue about the explosion's cause, the explosive's types, the perpetrator or perpetrators of the event," said Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin.

No group immediately claimed responsibility and the identities of the dead and wounded weren't released.



"It cannot be ruled out that German citizens have become victims in the explosion," the German ministry of foreign affairs said.

Germany's Foreign Office issued a travel advisory, following the blast. Turkey is a popular destination for German tourists.

"Travelers in Istanbul are urged to avoid larger gatherings, also in public squares and to avoid tourist attractions for now," a statement said.

The blast comes at a time Turkey is dealing with multiple threats to its security.

"This does seems to be an attack of some kind," said Sajjan Gohel, the international security director at the Asia Pacific Foundation. "There's been concern in Turkey for a while. Turkey's been on higher alert."

ISIS and the Kurdish group the PKK have been mentioned in recent outbreaks of violence.

In October, two explosions hit a lunchtime peace rally in Ankara, which called for an end to the renewed conflict between the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and Turkish government. More than 100 people were killed and more than 240 were injured.

ISIS is active in neighboring Iraq.

The Turkish government allows the United States to launch strikes on ISIS positions from Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey.

"The Islamic State has been unhappy with Turkey's cooperation with the United States," said Fadi Hakura, associate fellow at Chatham House.

Kurdish forces have been battling ISIS across a swath of northern Iraq and Syria

At least 10 killed, 15 injured in Istanbul explosion, officials say


At least ten people were killed and 15 others were injured Tuesday after an explosion in a historic district of Istanbul popular with tourists, the local governor's office said.

The cause of the explosion in the Sultanahmet area of the city is under investigation, but state-run TRT television reported the blast was likely caused by a suicide bomber. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of government rules, told the Associated Press the explosion was believed to be "terror-linked", but did not provide further details.

Turkey's Dogan news agency reported that at least six Germans, one Norwegian and one Peruvian were among the wounded, and Seoul's Foreign Ministry told reporters via text message that one South Korean had a finger injury.
A statement from the governor's office said that an investigation into the explosion was already underway. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu immediately convened a security meeting with the country's interior minister and other officials.
As with previous attacks, authorities imposed a news blackout, barring media from showing images of the dead or injured or reporting any details of the investigation.
Private NTV television said the explosion happened close to a park that is home to a landmark obelisk on the site of an ancient Roman hipppodrome, approximately 25 yards from Istanbul's landmark Blue Mosque.

Sultanahmet is Istanbul's main sightseeing area and includes the Topkapi Palace and the Haghia Sophia museum.

Police sealed the area, barring people from approaching in case of a second explosion.

The explosion was set off at approximately 10:20 a.m. local time, according to the Hurriyet newspaper.

Erdem Koroglu, who was working at a nearby office at the time of the explosion, told NTV television he saw several people lying on the ground following the blast.

"It was difficult to say who was alive or dead," Koroglu said. "Buildings rattled from the force of the explosion."

Turkey suffered two major bombing attacks last year.

More than 30 people were killed in an ISIS suicide attack in the town of Suruc, near Turkey's border with Syria, in July.
Two suicide bombs in October outside Ankara's main train station as people gathered for a peace rally killed more than 100 people. It was Turkey's deadliest attack. The prosecutor's office said the attack was carried out by a local ISIS cell.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/01...explosion.html