News / Turkey

Turkey jails 10 Syrians over deadly Istanbul blast

Sunday, 17 January 2016 9:42 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 17 January 2016 9:43 PM ]

A Turkish policeman stands guard as the Blue Mosque area is cordoned off after a blast in Istanbul's tourist hub of Sultanahmet on January 12, 2016. (AFP)

A Turkish court has jailed 10 Syrians over suspected links to a recent deadly bomb blast in the historic city of Istanbul.

According to Turkish state media, the Syrians were among a group of 17 people who were referred to court in Istanbul on Sunday over accusations of premeditated murder and membership in a terrorist organisation.

The 10 are to remain in jail pending trail while six people were freed on bail and proceedings against the 17th are still undergoing.

The blast took place in the city’s Sultanahmet square, a major tourist attraction, claiming the lives of 10 German citizens and injuring 15 more from various nationalities on Tuesday.

Ankara claims that the attack was carried out by a member of the Daesh Takfiri terror group who had recently entered Turkey from Syria, although no group has claimed responsibly for the incident.

Turkey has been on high security alert since more than 100 people were killed in twin blasts in Ankara last October. The attack was blamed on Daesh terrorists.

Ankara has been among the main supporters of the militant groups operating in Syria since March 2011.

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