Turkey confirms vehicle blast was terror attack
Diyarbakir authorities say 1 ton of explosives used in attack which martyred 3 people in security forces vehicle depot
FILE PHOTO
By Ali Bayaslan
ISTANBUL
Tuesday's deadly blast at a vehicle depot belonging to the security forces in southeastern Turkey was a terror attack, the country’s Interior Minister confirmed on Wednesday.
"It was a terror attack. We have around 10-12 wounded," Suleyman Soylu told Haberturk TV.
About one ton of explosives was planted in the vehicle depot in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakir province, the local governorship said later in a statement.
A 30-meter (98 feet) tunnel had been dug from the basement of an adjacent building and used to plant the device inside the vehicle maintenance facility, according to Diyarbakir's governorship.
Five people have been detained in connection with the incident.
Hospital treatment for four people injured in Tuesday's blast -- including one police official -- is continuing, it added.
Soylu said the explosives had been planted in a very short time despite regular Interior Ministry checks and patrols around the maintenance building.
Two civilian staff members and one police official were martyred when the explosion happened in Diyarbakir’s Baglar district at 10.47 a.m. (0747GMT) while an armored vehicle was undergoing repairs, according to the Turkish authorities.
An investigation was immediately launched into the incident.
* Esra Kaymak Avci contributed to this report from Ankara.
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