Suicide bombing in central Bursa injures 13


A suicide bombing in Turkey's western Bursa province near the historic Ulu (Grand) Mosque injured 13 people on Wednesday, while the bomber was killed in the explosion.

Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu said that thirteen people were injured in the explosion, none of them in critical condition.

An initial statement released by the Bursa Governorate said that the explosion was caused by a female suicide bomber, who was killed in the blast. Police sources told reporters at the scene that the woman was a 25-year-old; and the bomb probably exploded earlier than planned, preventing a high number of casualties.

The blast took place as a funeral prayer that followed the afternoon prayer was about to be held at the mosque.

Taking place at the heart of the city, the explosion smashed the windows of nearby shops located in the city's historic bazaar and caused panic.

Ambulances and rescue teams were dispatched to the area. The police cordonned off the area and conducted a search for the possibility of a bomb.In March a suicide bombing killed three Israelis and an Iranian and injured 36 in Istanbul's İstiklal district. A separate attack in the city's historic heart in January killed 12 German tourists.

In February, the PKK terrorist group's offshoot TAK carried out a bombing in Ankara, which was the third attack in the capital in recent months.

A car bomb exploded at the Kızılay Square while military service vehicles were passing in central Ankara on Feb. 17, killing 29 civilians and military personnel and injuring 61 others.