Local administrator’s office, library targeted by explosions in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

The garden of Maltepe Local Administrator’s office, Istanbul. DHA photo

A blast bomb thrown at the Maltepe Local Administrator’s office in Istanbul exploded in the garden, but no casualties or injuries occurred.

Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu said the bomb attacks in Istanbul’s Maltepe and Kartal districts today are not evaluated as “serious terror attacks,” Anatolia news agency reported.

“We do not evaluate the bombings in the Maltepe and Kartal districts as serious terror incidents. These are part of actions that happen in Istanbul from time to time. But even if they are simple, we do not let any terror incidents go [by]. Even though this is a simple [incident], our security forces will reveal its actors sooner,” Mutlu told reporters today.

The blast bomb hit a window on the second floor and then fall into the garden of the office located in the Maltepe district of Istanbul’s Anatolian side. Several teams were sent to the scene after the explosion, daily Milliyet reported on its website today. The police are continuing to investigate on the ground.

Maltepe local administrator Ahmet Okur said, “The explosion was caused by a blast bomb. We are passing through a critical period. I hope we will not experience very serious situations. We are on duty.”

Meanwhile, a handmade bomb left at a library in the Kartal district of Istanbul was deactivated before it detonated. The police received a report that a time bomb had been left in the entrance of the Kartal Municipality Library. Experts determined that the bomb was set to explode at 8:00 a.m. and managed to deactivate it before then.