At least 44 suspects, including the masterminds of Vezneciler and Maçka park attacks by the PKK have been detained in Istanbul-based anti-terror operations carried out in four provinces, Istanbul governor said Thursday.
In a statement, Governor Vasip Şahin said that one of the suspects detained in the operations is the organizer of the terror attack Istanbul's Maçka park, who fled the vehicle shortly before the car bomb.
Two bombs -- one by a bomb-laden car and the other a suicide bomb -- exploded in a terrorist attack that occurred in Istanbul's Maçka Park outside Beşiktaş's stadium, Vodafone Arena, on December 10, 2016, killing 44 people and wounding 155.
The other suspect detained has been identified as the organizer of Vezneciler terror attack, Şahin added.
The terror attack by a bomb-laden car on a riot police vehicle in Beyazıt's Vezneciler area on the city's European side killed 11 people, including civilians and police officers, and left 36 people wounded and damaged nearby shops, vehicles and hotels. A PKK splinter group, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Even though the group claims responsibility the recent deadly attacks, the PKK is believed to be the mastermind behind the plans.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU, and the U.S.
The terrorist group resumed its 30-year-old armed insurgency against the Turkish state in July 2015.
Over 1,100 people, including 800 security personnel have been killed and 314 civilians have lost their lives in PKK attacks in Turkey, while over 4,000 security personnel and 2,000 civilians have been injured. In the meantime, more than 10,000 PKK terrorists have been killed or apprehended in anti-terror operations.
