Face-off in Turkey over suicide bombings

Protesters clashing with Turkish riot police during an anti-government demonstration in Istanbul yesterday. Turkish investigators were seeking to firm up suspicions that members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria were behind the double suicide bo
PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

Protesters clashing with Turkish riot police during an anti-government demonstration in Istanbul yesterday.

Turkish investigators were seeking to firm up suspicions that members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria were behind the double suicide bombings in Ankara that killed 97, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to break days of silence over the blasts.

Bereaved relatives had on Monday held the first funerals for the victims of the blast, shouting slogans against the government and Mr Erdogan, who has come under fire over alleged security lapses.

A protest overnight in Istanbul's Gazi district - a known stronghold of hard-left anti-government activists - descended into violence as masked protesters threw Molotov cocktails at security forces.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 14, 2015, with the headline Face-off in Turkey over suicide bombings. Subscribe