Another Percussion Bomb

From Reuters by way of the Washington Post:

A percussion bomb exploded in front of a bank in central Istanbul on Saturday, wounding three people, a local official said.

The area was cordoned off to keep traffic away in case of a second bomb attack, he said.

"The injured were able to go to the hospital themselves, and I wish them all the best. Hopefully we will have more details on what exactly happened later. For now the area where the bomb exploded has been closed to traffic in case there is a second bomb," the official said.

Percussion bombs make a loud noise but usually do little damage. The bomb had been placed in a rubbish bin, the official said.

Television images showed a heavy police presence where the bomb exploded in Istanbul's Fatih district.


Bombings are not uncommon in Turkey and past attacks have been carried out by ethnic separatists, Islamists and leftist militants.

In July a double bomb attack killed 17 people in a crowded area of Istanbul, the first blast caused by a loud percussion bomb and the second a more powerful explosion that ripped through the crowd.

This attack follows another that killed six just last week. The most recent attack targeted AKP headquarters in İstanbul. A group called the "Revolutionary Headquarters" has claimed responsibility for the blast. There is speculatio the group might be linked to Ergenekon.