Ten killed in Istanbul blast as suicide bomber blows himself up

Police cordoned off the area near the Blue Mosque

Istanbul: Ten people, mostly foreigners, were killed yesterday when a Syrian suicide bomber blew himself up in Istanbul's busiest tourist district, in the latest deadly attack to hit the country. Nine Germans and two Peruvians were among the wounded.

Police cordoned off the area near the Blue Mosque. Pic/AFP

Images showed several mutilated corpses lying on the ground close to the iconic Ottoman-era Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet.
"I strongly condemn the attack, which was carried out by a suicide bomber of Syrian origin," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said most of the dead were foreigners. He also identified the bomber as a Syrian national born in 1988.

The blast
The explosion took place at around 0820 GMT by the Obelisk of Theodosius, a monument from ancient Egypt. It stands just outside the Blue Mosque. Police and ambulances raced to the scene. The cops cordoned off the area to shocked passers-by and tourists and the nearby tram service was halted. The Istanbul governor's office said an investigation was under way to identify the type of explosive used and any others involved in the attack.