Car bomb detonates outside court complex in coastal city, killing police officer and court employee
A car bomb has exploded outside a courthouse in western Turkey, killing two people and wounding five, less than a week after a massacre in an Istanbul nightclub killed 39 revellers and left the country on edge. Turkish authorities said two alleged gunmen were killed in a shootout following the attack in the city of Izmir. The city had been the scene of raids connected to the Istanbul attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State terror group.
The latest attack comes days after the end of an especially deadly year in Turkey, in which 275 people were killed in terror attacks and more than 1,000 maimed, according to Turkish media. Kurdish militants have also intensified their deadly insurgency in recent months and the smaller scale of the attack, as well as the choice of target, led some officials to suggest it was carried out by one of several Kurdish militant groups. Provincial governor Erol Ayyildiz blamed Thursday’s carnage on the most prominent of them, the PKK.
Isis attacks in Turkey have focused on soft civilian targets and political rallies, whereas strikes by groups such as the PKK have typically targeted police officers and soldiers, as well as state institutions. Authorities said a police officer and court employee had been killed in the blast. Images from the scene showed one suspect attacker apparently dead on the ground, still clutching an assault rifle. A video taken as the attack unfolded shows the flash of an explosion from a car. A burst of gunfire can be heard on other footage taken after the blast.
Weapons found at the scene suggested that a much larger attack had been foiled, the Turkish deputy prime minister, Veysi Kaynak, said. “Based on the preparation, the weapons, bombs and ammunition seized, it is understood that a big atrocity was being planned,” Kaynak told reporters.
Carro-bomba provoca forte explosão em Esmirna, na Turquia
Ao menos duas pessoas foram mortas e 11 ficaram feridas na explosão de um carro bomba em Esmirna, na Turquia, nesta quinta-feira (5). O atentado ocorreu próximo a um tribunal da cidade turca. e as vítimas fatais seriam um policial e um funcionário do tribunal. Dois supostos terroristas também foram mortos e a polícia está atrás de um terceiro, que teria fugido após a ação. As informações são da Agência ANSA.
Esmirna é a terceira maior cidade da Turquia e muito visitada por turistas por conta de seu belo litoral. Ninguém reivindicou o ataque ainda, mas o território turco vem sofrendo com ataques de carros-bomba em diversas cidades. Além disso, Esmirna está sendo alvo de várias operações policiais em busca do homem que realizou um ataque terrorista no dia 1º de janeiro, em uma boate de Istambul, em ação que deixou quase 39 mortos.
Segundo as autoridades turcas, mais de 40 pessoas que moram na cidade já foram interrogadas até o momento sobre o ataque.
Censura – O Ministério das Comunicações da Turquia impôs censura à mídia nas informações sobre a explosão do carro-bomba. Como está em estado de emergência, o governo turco usa a censura em casos considerados “terroristas”. No entanto, a agência oficial de notícias Anadolu, confirmou que dois extremistas
