BREAK DOWN
- Date: November 13, 2022
- Location: Beyo?lu District of Istanbul, Turkey
- Fatalities: 6
- Wounded: 81
- Suspect(s): Unknown/ No groups have claimed responsibility
- Suspect Status: At large
- Motive: Unknown
GRAPHIC:
A terror bombing occurred in Istanbul, Turkey. The explosion happened on the busy Istiklal Street. Russian Consulate General is also located on the street. Multiple people killed and injured.
Very sad tragedy. pic.twitter.com/VGMpG95HAM— LogKa (@LogKa11) November 13, 2022
EVENTS
At around 16:20 local time, an improvised explosive device placed on a sidewalk planter detonated at a busy shopping area of ?stiklal Avenue. Four people were killed instantly while two later died at the hospital.
turkey breaking , istanbul terror bombing , up to six dead many injured pic.twitter.com/9NKByjcHbq
— neil (@neiljettel3) November 13, 2022
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the bombing as terrorism and pledged that those involved will be captured, saying that “our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve.” Erdogan provided little information in terms of potential suspects or motives, only suggesting that an unidentified female played a role in the attack.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag reported that the female suspect “sat on one of the benches there for more than 40 minutes, then gets up. An explosion occurs 1-2 minutes after she leaves. There are two possibilities: Either that bag had a mechanism in it and it exploded on its own, or someone detonated it from afar.”
Following the attack, the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) issued a media ban for sharing footage, pictures, or information about the incident unless provided by the government. Likewise, the Turkish Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) announced that it had reduced internet service for social media across the country “[to stop the spread of] terrorist content and the images that violate the press ethics after the explosion in Taksim.”
?? Update: Social media remains restricted in #Turkey after a deadly explosion near Taksim, #Istanbul with live metrics showing the measure is now implemented on most internet providers; regulator BTK officially confirms social media throttled
? Report: https://t.co/Xww9RgoNlu pic.twitter.com/akjggjk6WM
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) November 13, 2022
MISINFORMATION
Some accounts on Twitter have been sharing footage of the March 2016 suicide bombing that took place on the same street and claiming it was from today.
More than 6 years ago on 19 March 2016, a suicide bombing took place on the same Istikl Street in which 4 people were killed and 36 were injured.
This is the video of the CCTV footage when the blast took place#?stanbul #Turkey #Blast #explosion #CCTV pic.twitter.com/xucgOOKm5m
— Madhaw Tiwari (@MadhawTiwari) November 13, 2022
