Istanbul residents retreat from public spaces following latest attack
In the wake of the March 19 suicide attack in Istanbul, Turks are questioning why security vulnerabilities increase as police visibility and power increase.
Around 11 a.m. March 19, there was a loud explosion on Istiklal Street in the Beyoglu district in Istanbul. The attack claimed the lives of four people and a male suicide bomber, leaving over 30 injured. The latest news indicates that among the victims were two American-Israeli dual citizens, an Israeli and an Iranian; at least five tourists who were part of an Israeli culinary tour group of 14 were injured. Most of the other wounded were Turks and foreign tourists.
The Israeli government sent two planes to repatriate the bodies of the three dead Israelis and evacuated the five wounded to Israeli hospitals. Israel is now trying to determine, in cooperation with Turkish security officials, whether the Israeli tour group was targeted specifically or whether it was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
