UPDATES WITH 17 MORE DETENTIONS IN ANKARA
By Alptekin Soykan and Cankut Tasdan
ISTANBUL (AA) – Anti-terrorism police detained at least 37 members of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in two separate operations in Istanbul and Ankara early Monday morning, according to police sources.
Twenty members were detained in Istanbul, including HDP’s provincial head Aysel Guzel as well as district-level party heads, a police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.
In a separate operation, 17 more HDP members, including the party’s Ankara provincial head, Ibrahim Binici, and other district-level heads were also detained in the capital, another police source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.
The arrests came after Saturday evening’s deadly blasts in Istanbul left at least 39 dead and 155 others wounded. At around 10.30 p.m. (1930GMT), a car bomb went off outside a football stadium in the city’s Besiktas district, two hours after the end of a Turkish league football match between Besiktas and Bursaspor. Seconds later, a suicide bomb attack occurred in Macka Park in the same neighborhood. The suicide bomber blew himself up after police noticed him, according to the interior minister.
A total of 13 suspects linked to the bombings have been arrested so far.
Last month, 13 HDP lawmakers were arrested, and 10, including Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, remain in custody awaiting trial on terrorism-related charges.
The lawmakers face prosecution under anti-terrorism legislation after their parliamentary immunity was lifted earlier this year.
The government has accused the HDP of having links to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU.
