Sunday’s bombing of Istiklal Street in Turkey took the lives of “whole families”, father and daughter, mother and daughter, husband and wife, and these, like other Turkish citizens, were trying to spend their Sunday holidays in the place known as “the heart of Istanbul”, and the spot that makes passers-by and tourists beat faster.
Among the victims there was also “Youssef Meidan”, an employee of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, who together with his 9-year-old daughter, “Ekrin”, who also died in the bombing, went to Istiklal street on Sunday afternoon, after they arrived in Istanbul to attend a relative’s sermon.
And the Minister of Family and Social Policies, Drya Yanik, announced Youssef’s death on his social media account, with a message: “I condemn this treasonous attack that caused the death of a father and his daughter” .
Our hearts burned with the bitter news of the treacherous attack in Istanbul.
We have lost our colleague Yusuf Meydan and his daughter Ecrin.
Our condolences to his family, relatives and colleagues.
— Derya Yanik (@deryayanikashb) November 13, 2022
So far the identities of 6 victims have been identified, who died as a result of the attack, which according to the Turkish authorities would have been carried out by a woman, linked to the “PKK”, who is on the terrorist lists.
Hurriyet newspaper reported in a report released on Monday that “Yusuf Meydan, who resides in Elazig, came with his family to Istanbul to attend a relative’s engagement party. He wanted to spend Sunday, so he went to Istiklal Street with his family”.
Meanwhile, “Youssef Medan and his 9-year-old daughter, Ecrine, were killed in the blast, while his wife was seriously injured.”
This story is no different than “Adam Topkara”, who lost his life with his wife, Mogidis Elif Topkara.
Adam and Makdis got married in 2020 and wanted to spend their holidays in the Beyoglu district on Sunday. Hurriyet added: “A huge explosion occurred while Adam and his wife were window shopping on Istiklal Street. The couple died side by side.”
Another person was also killed, Arzu Ozsoy, along with his 16-year-old daughter Yamur.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a statement on Monday that 55 of the 81 injured in the Istiklal Street blast have been released from hospital after completing treatment.
He added, “26 patients are still being treated, 5 of whom are in the intensive care unit. Unfortunately, the condition of our patients in the intensive care unit is still serious.”
In turn, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced that “the person who threw the bomb on Istiklal Street in Beyoglu district has been arrested by the Istanbul Police Department.”
“We have an assessment that the order of action came from Kobani, and we have an assessment that the perpetrator went through Afrin,” he said in a statement, adding: “The person who carried out the incident and dropped the bomb she was arrested by Istanbul Police Headquarters Squads, about 21 other people had been arrested before that.”
What happens?
For the first time, after the attack and the announcement of the arrest of 46 people “in connection with its implementation”, the Turkish authorities have revealed the image of the “executed woman” and how she entered the country illegally.
And a statement released by the Istanbul police included that “the Syrian woman, Ahlam al-Bashir, who carried out the incident, has been arrested.”
#Improvisation The terrorist who carried out the terrorist attack on Istiklal Street has been caught🚨
The studies started on the accident continue in an articulated way. pic.twitter.com/CniGox6r4u— Istanbul Police Department (@istanbul_EGM) November 14, 2022
And the Turkish police have announced that the young woman, arrested and accused of planting the bomb that killed six people in Istanbul, “is of Syrian nationality and has confessed to the facts”.
Police said the defendant confessed to acting on orders from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as she had received instructions in Kobani in northeastern Syria.
Police arrested a number of suspects along with the woman in an apartment in Kucukcekmece on the outskirts of Istanbul.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu stressed that the defendant is preparing to “flee to Greece”.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters that Turkish authorities believe the person who carried out Sunday’s Istanbul attack is “linked to Kurdish militants and they do not rule out ties to the Islamic State group”.
And the General Directorate of Security announced that the bomb used in the explosion that took place in Istiklal Street was a TNT type, and it is one of the high-powered explosives.
The woman was arrested within 10 hours after examining 1,200 security cameras.
Raids were made on 21 addresses which showed Al-Bashir had contacted them, and as a result, 46 suspects of involvement in the bombing were arrested.
