The suicide bomber who orchestrated a Tuesday explosion that killed 10 people in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square, the heart of the city’s tourist area, was a member of the Islamic State.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan originally said a suicide bomber “with Syrian roots” carried out the attack. Since then, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the man came from outside Turkey and was a member of the terrorist group.
However, no group has yet to claim attack for the attack.
Erdogan also added Turkey was the “top target for all terrorist groups in the region,” while his country, he added, is “fighting against all of them equally”.
At least 15 people were wounded and 10 more were killed in the blast between the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque tourist attractions, which occurred around 10:20 a.m. local time, Istanbul’s governor’s office said.
National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. condemned the attack.
“This heinous attack occurred in Istanbul’s historic heart, and struck Turks and foreign tourists alike,” he said. “We stand together with Turkey, a NATO ally, a strong partner, and a valued member of the Counter-ISIL coalition, in the face of this attack and pledge our ongoing cooperation and support in the fight against terrorism.”
The city’s Sultanahmet Square is already a heavily guarded area.
According to an anonymous Turkish official, at least nine German nationals died in the attack. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Davutoglu spoke on the phone, the Anadolo news agency said. Before word of a German tourist group being hit by the attack, Merkel expressed “serious concern” about the casuals.
“Today Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before. International terrorism is once again showing its cruel and inhuman face today,” she added.
A Norwegian citizen was also taken to a hospital for treatment after the blast, that country’s foreign ministry said.
Both the Islamic State and the Kurdish group the PKK has been mentioned in recent outbreaks of violence. In October, two suicide blasts in the capital Ankara killed more than 100 people and another 30 more were killed in attack near the border with Syria in July.
This story was last updated at 1:27 p.m.
