The case is heard, even before the end of an investigation that has just begun. For the Turkish authorities, the police have arrested the culprits of the attack on Istiklal Avenue, the emblematic artery of Istanbul, which occurred on Sunday November 13 at the end of the afternoon, and which resulted in the death of six persons. Photos of a handcuffed young woman wearing flip flops and a crossed out purple sweatshirt « New York University » have been published. She would have placed the bomb under a small bench in the avenue before fleeing. After her arrest by the security forces, a few hours after the explosion on Monday morning, this 23-year-old Syrian reportedly admitted having received the“order” from « PKK-YPG-PYD ». Three acronyms that slam, here, as evidence.
From Ankara’s perspective, the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG (People’s Protection Units) and its political arm PYD (Democratic Union Party), the dominant Kurdish force in northeast Syria, are “terrorist organizations” because of their ramifications with the banned PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. All three denied having any responsibility for the attack.
State of extreme tension
In addition to the young woman, the police have since arrested 50 other people. The suspect allegedly admitted during her interrogation that she had been trained as “Special Intelligence Agent” by the PKK, the YPD and the PYD, before entering Turkey illegally, according to the police, through the Afrin region in northern Syria. Arrived at the scene of the attack, the Minister of the Interior, Süleyman Soylu, one of the heavyweights of the government, intervened by affirming that the instructions for the attack came from the Syrian and border town of Kobané, the symbol of Kurdish resistance to the Islamic State organization (IS).
The suspect would have fled to Greece, according to the minister, if she had not been arrested. Details that are intended to be as precise as they are overwhelming. “We know what message those who carried out this action want to convey to us. We got this messageadded Mr. Soylu. Don’t worry, we’ll pay them back, and heavily. »
Known for his attacks on the United States, particularly in 2016, when he went so far as to accuse Washington of having been involved in the coup attempt, Süleyman Soylu has, it seems, decided, this time, to go up a notch. In front of the cameras, the head of internal security thus abruptly dismissed the condolences from across the Atlantic: “We do not accept the American ambassador’s wishes of condolence, we reject them. After all, the United States is officially allied with the PYD-YPG. Their condolences resemble those of murderers returned to the scene of their crime. »
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