Turkish officials have reported that an explosion in a crowded area of central Istanbul resulted in at least six fatalities and 81 injuries.
The explosion occurred on a retail strip near Taksim Square on Sunday at about 16:20 local time (13:20 GMT).
The interior ministry reported that a suspect has now been taken into custody.
Earlier, vice president Fuat Oktay stated that a female terrorist is suspected of carrying out the explosion.
The offenders would face punishment, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He denounced the “vile attack” and claimed that “the smell of terror” was present during a news conference in Istanbul.
Bekir Bozdag, the justice minister, told Turkish media that a woman had been sitting on a bench nearby for more than 40 minutes before departing soon before the explosion.
Suleyman Soylu, the interior minister, announced on Monday morning that police had detained a suspect in the bomb’s alleged leaver and that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was to blame.
A terrorist organization known as the PKK demands an autonomous Kurdish state within Turkey. It is viewed as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU.
The blast has not yet been assigned a perpetrator.
A government official named Derya Yanik tweeted that two victims included a worker for a government ministry and his young daughter.
Turkey has received condolences from all across the world in the wake of the tragedy.
According to a statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the US declared that it stands “shoulder to shoulder” with its NATO member in “countering terrorism.”
“We share your pain… We are with you in the fight against terrorism,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a tweet in Turkish.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, stated in a tweet that was also written in Turkish: “The pain of the friendly Turkish people is our pain.”
Greece, Italy, Pakistan, and other nations also showed their solidarity.
One of the city’s main thoroughfares, Istiklal Street, which is frequently crowded with shoppers, was previously the target of a suicide bomber in 2016.
