December 12 – The twin bombs that were exploded two hours after the end of the Besiktas vs Bursapor Turkish Super Liga match in Istanbul on Saturday were not targeted at football fans but were aimed at police on match-day security duty.
The bombings – one a car bomb, the other a suicide bomber – killed 38 and wounded a further 160. 30 of the dead were police officers. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons claimed responsibility for the bombings that took place near Besiktas’ newly refurbished Vodafone Arena stadium.
The attacks were designed for maximum impact, both for publicity and to inflict high numbers of police casualties.
The force of the blasts were so great that pictures show security personnel removing a body from the roof of the Besiktas stadium.
At least 13 people have been arrested following the attacks. Turkey declared a one-day morning and flags were ordered flags to fly at half mast. Funeral services for some of the officers killed in the attack started just after midday on Sunday at Istanbul’s police headquarters.
Turkish Super Lig champions Besikatas released a statement condemning “the terrorists…who attacked our heroic security forces, who provided security for both our supporters and those of our visitors Bursaspor.
“We hope that the citizens who were wounded in the attack will have a speedy recovery and that no greater suffering will be experienced. We condemn violence and hatred.”
Both clubs said that none of their supporters who had attended the game were among the dead.
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