Two explosions shook the Istanbul neighborhood outside of Besiktas’ Vodafone Arena today, as plumes of smoke billowed above the rim of the brand new stadium, with upwards of 20 people were wounded as a result of the blasts.
The Associated Press is reporting that a private NTV channel was claiming that the target of the attack was a bus filled with riot police and Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that the 20 wounded were all police officers. Other reports have claimed that there has been gunfire in what appears to be a targeted attack on police.
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From AP:
“It is thought to be a car bomb at a point where our special forces police were located, right after the match at the exit where Bursaspor fans exited, after the fans had left.” Soylu was quoted as saying by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. “We have no information on the number of dead. God willing we hope there won’t be any. The wounded are police.”
The blasts happened after Besiktas played rival Turkish team Bursaspor in a Süper Lig match, which settled 2-1 to the home side. Bursaspor
— Bursaspor (@BursasporSk) December 10, 2016This story is still developing—stick with us for details.
UPDATE:
(6:00pm)
At least 13 people have been killed by the blasts, according to the BBC. The two blasts have been located both immediately outside the stadium and at Macka Park—right across the street from Vodafone Arena. While the blast outside the stadium is suspected to be a car bomb—though still not confirmed—the explosion in Macka Park is believed to be a suicide bomb.
Authorities are investigating as to whether or not these attacks are related to ISIS or Kurdish guerrilla groups—who have attacked Turkish security forces in the past year. As of yet, however, no groups have claimed responsibility for the attack.
