2 injured in powerful explosion in Istanbul, police at scene - reports
An explosion in the Sultanbeyli suburb of Istanbul has injured two people, Turkish media report. Police have arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.
A homemade bomb left in a trash can exploded around 3pm local time (13:00 GMT), local media report.
Sultanbeyli Mehmet akif mah. Özel ersoy hastanesi önündeki durakta patlatılan bomba ve ilk görüntüler pic.twitter.com/73fAqTzAB8
— ★ KÖTÜ ADAM ★ (@LiarDewil) February 4, 2016
"There was more than one explosion. Everyone had to escape," a witness said, as cited by Turkish news agency DHA.
Police are investigating the cause of the explosion.
Sultanbeyli'de patlama: 2 kişi hafif yaralı. Olay yerinden ilk görüntüler https://t.co/5KGLgm7sGCpic.twitter.com/lkME1PXXiM
— Haberturk (@Haberturk) February 4, 2016
Earlier in the day, Turkish police defused another bomb in Istanbul’s Eyup district by carrying out a controlled explosion.
Around 1pm local time (11:00 GMT) two masked men were seen leaving a package at a bus stop. Eye witnesses assumed the package was suspicious and called the police.
Police then blocked the street and deployed a bomb disposal team to the scene.
Gaziosmanpaşa'da otobüs durağına bırakılan dolu tüp fünye ile böyle patlatıldı! https://t.co/C0qBYPCyPvpic.twitter.com/NT3wROpi4O
— Haberturk (@Haberturk) February 4, 2016
Police are looking for the two suspects who left the bomb at the bus stop. The men were caught on a security camera while leaving the scene.
The two incidents came just weeks after a powerful blast hit central Istanbul Square on January 12. An attack carried out by a suicide bomber claimed the lives of 12 foreigners, mostly Germans, and injured 15 more people. The perpetrator was a member of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), who came to Turkey as a refugee from Syria.
Turkey’s police carried out raids in five major cities arresting 59 people suspected of links to IS following that incident.
