Terrorist Attack In Ankara?
Ed Morrissey
It appears that someone detonated a bomb at a shopping mall in Ankara, Turkey's capital. Four people have died and dozens more injured in the blast:
Four people died and 56 were injured in an explosion in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Mayor Melih Gokchek told CNN Turk.
Police believe the most likely cause of the "major" explosion in the middle of a shopping district Tuesday was a bomb.
Ankara's governor, Kamal Onal, initially said the blast appeared to be an accident, but later said it could have been a bomb. ...
The Turks have been debating the secular nature of their nation, a position which has angered Islamists, especially after their candidate was denied the presidency. Is this related? Right now, it's too early to tell, but it bears watching.
Rush hour blast strikes busy market
ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- A powerful blast believed to be a bomb ripped through an Ankara shopping district Tuesday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens more.
Anti-terror squad police at the scene said they have found traces of A4 plastic explosives.
The rush-hour explosion went off in a busy shopping area of the city -- Ulus -- and during an international defense fair, where companies show their wares to militaries.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the bomb was planted or was detonated by a suicide attacker, according to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan called the blast a terror bombing and said the "unfortunate event" occurred despite "very heavy precautions" against such attacks.
We have to unite against terrorism," he said. "We have to create a global platform against terrorism."
Police said A4 explosive is often used by militants in the radical separatist Kurdistan Workers Party -- known by its Turkish initials, PKK. Its fighters have been staging attacks against Turkey in the country's southeast and from the Kurdish region of neighboring Iraq.
Police are also trying to track down a red vehicle that was at the scene.
Erdogan confirmed five deaths to news reporters. One of the dead was a Pakistani and the others were Turks. ...
