An Islamic State-affiliated 20-year-old man identified as Suruç bomber
Ankara (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Turkish authorities said that a 20-year-old Turkish man reportedly linked to Islamic State (IS) militants carried out the suicide bombing in the mainly Kurdish town of Suruç near the border with Syria that killed 32 people. Identification was made through DNA tests on his remains.
Monday's blast ripped through a press conference of pro-Kurdish activists in Suruç who had gathered to present an aid mission to Kobane, just across the Syrian border, which was the scene of fierce clashes between Kurdish forces and Islamic State fighters last year.
The suicide bomber, identified by his initials S A A, was a 20-year-old from Adiyaman, in south-eastern Turkey, who had first become involved with IS militants two months ago. This backs Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who blamed the jihadi group a few hours after the attack.
Some evidence suggest that Monday’s attack is connected to the one that occurred on 5 June in Diyarbakir, a few days before Turkey’s general elections. Four people were killed on that occasion and dozens more were wounded during a public rally for a Kurdish party. According to the Daily Hürriyet, the explosive devices used in both cases were identical.
Today, the Suruç Magistrate of Peace banned “the publication of visual material related to the terror attack” on Monday by newspapers and televisions. The court also blocked Internet access to the images.
According to Daily Hürriyet, the court also ordered Twitter to remove 107 pieces of content. Twitter quickly complied by removing 50 articles, but failed to remove the other 57 before the four-hour court-imposed deadline, which led to the social networking service being blocked.
A senior Turkish official said that once Twitter had removed the remaining images, the ban would be lifted.
In March, Turkey blocked access to Twitter, hours after then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to close down the social media platform. The access was later restored by Turkey’s Constitutional Court, which cited a violation of citizen rights.
Yesterday, the governorate of Şanlıurfa, announced a ban on rallies, marches and similar gatherings in order to prevent any future incidents.
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