Turkish police have carried out a wave of arrests targeting pro-Kurdish politicians and individuals after Saturday’s twin bombing attack outside a football stadium in Istanbul, which killed 44 people.
The car bomb and suicide attack killed eight civilians and 36 police officers stationed in Beşiktaş, on Istanbul’s European side, Recep Akdağ, the health minister, said. At least 150 people were wounded.
The bombings were claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), which has been fighting an insurgency against the Turkish state for decades.
Tensions have risen in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish south-east over the past year and a half after the collapse of a peace process. There have been multiple attacks by the PKK and its offshoots as well as by the Islamic State terror group.
On Sunday, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, vowed to avenge those killed, saying: “No one should have any doubt about our fight against terrorism. We are the owners of this country and will not leave it to those scum if they aim to scare us with such attacks.”
The interior ministry said on Monday that 235 people in 11 cities have been arrested on terrorism-related charges and for spreading terrorist propaganda on social media. The detainees include mayors and provincial officials accused of having links with the PKK, as well as members of the opposition People’s Democratic party (HDP).
The military said it had carried out a series of airstrikes on PKK outposts on Sunday night, destroying bunkers and weapons depots.
Hundreds of HDP members have been arrested in recent months, including its top two officials, in a campaign that has been condemned by human rights groups as an attempt to consolidate the power of the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP).
The HDP has condemned the bombings, describing them as an “atrocious massacre”.
“I call upon all our society, our people, to stand together in hope around opposition to violence, and [feelings of] peace, sisterhood and brotherhood, democracy and freedom,” the HDP’s head, Selahattin Demirtaş, who is in custody awaiting trial, said in a statement.
