Police were on high alert across Turkey on Sunday after the previous day's attack by a suicide bomber in Istanbul's most popular shopping district
CCTV Footage has emerged of the suicide bombing in Istanbul on Saturday that has reportedly killed and maimed dozens, including a group of Israeli tourists who were nearby during the attack.
The clip shows a man loitering suspiciously on a busy street in the Turkish city as unsuspecting passersby continue on the pedestrian pathway in the busy shopping district.
The clip shows a man loitering suspiciously on a busy street in the Turkish city as unsuspecting passersby continue on the pedestrian pathway in the busy shopping district.
The White House says two Americans were among those killed in a suicide attack in Istanbul. Their identities were not released, but an Israeli diplomat in Istanbul says they held dual Israeli citizenship.
Israeli media named one of the victims as 60-year-old Simha Dimri, a mother of four. Her husband was wounded in the attack, according to reports.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the National Security Council, in a statement Saturday condemned the "heinous attack" and said the U.S. remains steadfast in support of Turkey, its NATO ally.
He says the U.S. remains in close touch with Turkish authorities. He offered thoughts and prayers to the families of those who were killed or wounded.
Price says these repeated acts of terrorism in Turkey must come to an end.
An Iranian citizen was also killed in Saturday's attack on Istanbul's main pedestrian shopping street that killed at least five people, including the suicide bomber.
It was the sixth suicide bombing in Turkey in the past year.
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9 p.m.
An Israeli official has confirmed that a second Israeli citizen is among the victims of the suicide attack in Istanbul, which killed five people including the bomber.
Israeli Foreign ministry spokesman Alon Lavi said Saturday: "Sadly, we can confirm two dead Israelis."
Earlier, Iranian officials also said that an Iranian man was among the dead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said officials were still trying to determine whether the attack targeted specifically targeted Israeli nationals.
"We are trying to clarify with intelligence, and we have no confirmation for this now, that this terror attack was directed against Israelis," Netanyahu said.
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8:11 p.m.
Turkish media reports say three Israelis and an Iranian national were killed in the suicide attack in Istanbul.
The private Dogan news agency on Saturday identified the victims as a woman and two men from Israel, and an Iranian aged 31. The agency did not cite a source for the report, which was also carried by other media organizations.
A Turkish official would not immediately confirm the report, saying authorities were still trying to confirm the victims' identities.
Earlier, an Israeli official confirmed that an Israeli was among the victims.
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7:20 p.m.
The United States says it "stands in solidarity" with Turkey in combating "the common threat of terrorism."
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby says the attack is the latest in a series of what he describes as "indefensible violence targeting innocent people" throughout Turkey.
Kirby says in a statement that "these acts of terrorism only reinforce our determination to support all those across the region working to promote peace and reconciliation."
The blast killed the bomber and at least four others. Thirty-six people were wounded, among them Israeli tourists.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed that there were Israelis among the wounded in the Saturday morning suicide bombing in Istanbul.
Head of the Joint List party, MK Ayman Odeh said he was in contact with authorities in Turkey who said six Arab-Israeli citizens were wounded in the blast.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said he could not confirm the number of Israelis harmed, nor what condition they were in. Later the ministry released a statement that the Israelis were hospitalized at four different hospitals in the city.
The Foreign Ministry said that the wounded Israelis were part of a group of 14 Israeli tourists. The ministry was set to convene a meeting on the attack on Saturday afternoon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was being updated in the aftermath of the attack.
Netanyahu ordered an increase in manpower at the Turkish consulate in Istanbul and directed the envoy to work towards bringing back to Israel the wounded Israelis.
Preliminary findings indicate that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or an affiliate carried out the attack, a senior Turkish official told Reuters.
"The attacker detonated the bomb before reaching the targeted point because they were scared of the police," the official said, adding the bomber had planned to hit a more crowded spot.
Armed police sealed off the shopping street where half a dozen ambulances had gathered. Forensic teams in white suits scoured the area for evidence. Police helicopters buzzed overhead and panicked shoppers fled the area, ducking down narrow sidestreets.
"My local shopkeeper told me someone had blown himself up and I walked towards the end of the street," one neighborhood resident told Reuters.
