At least 30 die and dozens hurt as ‘suicide bomber’ strikes at wedding party

At least 30 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a bomb attack on a wedding party in Turkey last night. The explosion tore through part of the city of Gaziantep where many university students live after a wedding party spilled out on to the streets. The blast, described as a “terror attack”, was heard across the city, which is close to the Syrian border, and officials suggested it was the work of a suicide bomber.

The aim of terror is to scare the people but we will not allow this.

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek

It is the latest attack to have rocked the key NATO member in a horrific year that has seen a string of strikes blamed on Kurdish and Islamist militants as well as a bloody July 15 botched coup. Mehmet Erdogan, a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmaker for Gaziantep said it was not clear who was responsible for the explosion. But he added there was a “high possibility” it was a suicide attack. Turkey faces multiple security threats from Islamic State militants at home and across the border with neighboring Syria as well as from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey