Day of mourning declared in Turkey after twin blasts kill 29
Forensic officials work at the scene of explosions near the Besiktas football club stadium after attacks in Istanbul, late Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. Two bombs exploded outside a major soccer stadium in Istanbul after fans had gone home Saturday night, causing fatalities. Turkish authorities have banned distribution of images relating to the Istanbul explosions within Turkey. AP
ISTANBUL — Turkey has declared a national day of mourning after twin blasts in Istanbul killed 29 people and wounded 166 others near a soccer stadium.
The Sunday statement from Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's office also ordered flags to fly at half-staff across the country and at Turkey's foreign missions.
Twin attacks Saturday night by a car bomber and a suicide bomber near Istanbul's Besiktas soccer stadium were the latest large-scale assault to traumatize a nation confronting an array of security threats. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but one official said suspicions were focused on Kurdish militants.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told the private news channel CNN Turk that "arrows point to the PKK."
He was referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has waged a decades-long insurgency.
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