Suicide bombers likely behind Ankara attack – Turkey PM

ANKARA, Turkey – Two suicide bombers likely carried out the twin explosions in Turkey’s capital Ankara at a peace rally Saturday, October 10, that left 86 people dead, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

“There are very strong signs that the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers,” he told reporters in Ankara, declaring 3 days of national mourning for those who lost their lives.

“This attack has targeted not a single group, citizens who joined the rally or a political community but targeted our people as a whole,” he said.

“While we are heading toward elections (on November 1)… such an attack has directly taken aim at democracy and democratic rights and freedoms,” he added.

“Today is the day to be in solidarity shoulder-to-shoulder.”

Davutoglu said the necessary would be done against whoever carried out “this treacherous massacre,” branding the perpetrators “enemies of humanity.”

“A terrorist is a terrorist. Whoever carried out an act of terror has committed a crime against humanity,” he said. 

“We are encountering one of the most painful acts of terrorism in our republic’s history,” he added. 

Asked whether there had been a security lapse, Davutoglu said two suicide bombers had been caught in Istanbul and in Ankara ahead of the latest attack. He said necessary measures would be taken if any negligence had occurred.

Davutoglu said no group had claimed responsibility for the Ankara bombings. But he said groups including Islamic State (IS) jihadists, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and the far-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party–Front (DHKP-C) were capable of carrying out such an attack.

The Turkish premier lashed out at the co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, who blamed the state for being behind the deadly bombings.

“Demirtas’s conscience and mind were handcuffed. I am here if anyone asks for an account.” – Rappler.com