Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6
By Orkhan Quluzade – Trend:
Eighteen people were detained in connection with the Jan. 5 terrorist attack in the Turkish city of Izmir, Hurriyet newspaper reported citing the country’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) stands behind the terrorist attack, according to the minister.
He also noted that nine people, injured in the explosion, are currently undergoing treatment.
On Jan. 5, a mined car was blown up after militants armed with automatic firearms and grenades started a skirmish with the police. A police officer and a court employee were killed as a result, ten more people got injured.
Two of the militants were neutralized during a shoot-out with security forces.
The country’s officials said that a major attack was prevented thanks to the fact that a local police officer wanted to check the car parked nearby.
The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.
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