Turkish car bomb blastclaims three

THREE people were killed and 15 wounded in a blast from a suspected car bomb in the Turkish capital of Ankara yesterday.

The explosion occurred in the central Kizilay neighbourhood area less than a mile from prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office and the headquarters of the chief of general staff and several ministeries.

Interior minister Naim Sahin said a parked car had exploded setting off a chain of blasts as other vehicles were hit. Many cars in Turkey are powered by liquified petroleum gas.

“It is highly probable that it’s a terror attack,” Mr Sahin said.

Kurdish rebels fighting for autonomy in south-eastern Turkey have recently escalated attacks. The radical left and Islamist militants have also bombed Turkish cities in the past.

Turkey is also facing increased tensions due to mass arrests over separate conspiracy investigations, prompting the resignation of much of the military’s leadership earlier this year.