Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Reyhanli locals to remain calm in the face of "the sectarian provocations of the opposition" in the aftermath of the May 11 attacks that killed 51 people in the town Hurriyetdailynews reported.
Erdogan said the opposition was "trying to cause provocations over the Reyhanli incident" and called on the people to keep their calm.
"Do not fall for the opposition's attempts at sectarian provocation. We have 300,000 refugees in our country," Erdogan said, adding that people should not blame refugees for the incident.
"People should not see them as guilty, but should open their homes to them," Erdogan said. "If those Syrian brothers cannot leave their homes, my Reyhanli brothers should take a look at themselves."
Local reaction against the high number of refugees has been harsh following the incident, which killed 51 people, and Syrian refugees have been leaving Turkey in large numbers. Some 18 people have been detained in the Reyhanli investigation so far; 12 of them have been arrested, while six were released pending trial.