Taksim bomber identified

The bomber, 32-year-old Vedat Acar, was born in eastern city of Van.

The suicide bomber who blew himself up on Istanbul´s main square, wounding 32 people, came from Turkey´s mainly Kurdish southeast and belonged to a separatist group, the Istanbul governor said on Tuesday.

The bomber was identified as Vedat Acar, the governor´s office said in a statement. Acar was born in 1986 in Van province near the Iranian border, the statement said.

Seven people have been arrested in connection with the attack on Sunday in central Istanbul, Turkey´s biggest city and its financial centre, the state Anatolian news agency also said.

The attack was on a police point in Taksim Square and wounded 15 policemen and 17 civilians.

The statement did not explicitly say to which organization Acar belonged, but described it as a "separatist terrorist organization", a term often used by Turkish officials to describe the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). "It has been established that Acar joined the separatist terrorist organization in 2004.”

A photograph of the dead bomber was handed out by police on Monday.

The PKK on Monday denied any link with the bombing in Istanbul. It declared it was extending a 2-1/2 month ceasefire on Monday until a general election expected in June 2011.

source: here

Quoting si++

Taksim bomber identified

The bomber, 32-year-old Vedat Acar, was born in eastern city of Van.

The suicide bomber who blew himself up on Istanbul´s main square, wounding 32 people, came from Turkey´s mainly Kurdish southeast and belonged to a separatist group, the Istanbul governor said on Tuesday.

The bomber was identified as Vedat Acar, the governor´s office said in a statement. Acar was born in 1986 in Van province near the Iranian border, the statement said.

Seven people have been arrested in connection with the attack on Sunday in central Istanbul, Turkey´s biggest city and its financial centre, the state Anatolian news agency also said.

The attack was on a police point in Taksim Square and wounded 15 policemen and 17 civilians.

The statement did not explicitly say to which organization Acar belonged, but described it as a "separatist terrorist organization", a term often used by Turkish officials to describe the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). "It has been established that Acar joined the separatist terrorist organization in 2004.”

A photograph of the dead bomber was handed out by police on Monday.

The PKK on Monday denied any link with the bombing in Istanbul. It declared it was extending a 2-1/2 month ceasefire on Monday until a general election expected in June 2011.

 

 

source: here

 

Both PKK and Apo denied the attack.. I can not see a point why they will do a suicide bomb attack, when they were deciding about a ceasefire to take us till the end of the coming general election!!

I am not going to be surprised if the guy belonged to a splinter group (there was the ´real IRA´, at some stage for example..) Even, I dont know, may be an unhappy PKK commander!!

I dont think it matters that much.. 

Time for peace! and it is the whole 8 months!!

All those promises and talks like ´we are ready to do lots of things but the guns should stop first´. 

Here we go...

The guns have stopped!!

I don´t think PKK is linked to this attack, since PKK tends to claim all it´s attacks. What is the point of attacking somebody and than saying "it wasn´t me!". I was surprised by Erdogan´s speech after the attack. Seemed like he was pointing towards other people, instead of the PKK as being behind the attack.

TAK which is a branch of PKK has claimed responsibility for the attack...

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/16216388.asp?gid=373

This is really bizarre..

I know there are many people/papers/magazines etc that will want this war continued rather than finished. 

But despite the fact that that group is a splinter group from PKK and the group said they dont support PKK decision for a ceasefire, the headline like ´PKK claims responsibility of Taksim attack´ is a bit too much. 

http://www.bianet.org/english/minorities/125876-tak-behind-istanbul-bomb-attack 

Anyway, we just leave war loving people to themselves.

I just read somewhere that PKK is planning to pull its members to northern Iraq from Turkey...

That will reduce the chances of unplanned clashes..

It seems some people don´t understand the meaning of splintergroup...

If you do not know the relation between pkk and tak, it is better you shut up. tak was established by pkk in near past. Terrorists are trained to be used in terrorist acts in cities such as burning buses, forests, bombing in cities and touristic places etc. They are being trained in pkk camps in northern Iraq, Taksim bomber is one of them as well. After it had been established, nearly all dirty terrorist acts is being claimed responsibility by them. Kck or pkk now try to picture them as separate group or out of control so that in future they can claim "it was not pkk but tak" about the dirty terrorist acts. Tabii yersen...  

Yeah. They train these people in their camps and send them to the cities. Then these guys rent a house with satellite dish which can receive RojTV and they receive ciphered messages from RojTV. In the end, PKK disclaims responsibility.

Eyvallah, inandık.

For those who can read Turkish: check here and here also.

I think it is crystal clear. There are two different ideas in Turkey:

1- we talk, not fight

2- we fight, not talk

Lets look at this incident, what aim do you think people, who decided to stage a sensational attack in the middle of Taksim, have?

Of course, people who are quite happy to see this type of incidents, are very quick to conclude, ´see, did we not say this?´

And PKK has threatened TAK yesterday.. They said they will not tolerate these type incidents which undermine PKK and Ocalan´s efforts and if they dont stop,  PKK will hold TAK accountable for its actions.

Anyway, I am not sure if we ever learn the truth but some people are thinking it might be the ´deep state´ using their extensions in PKK or TAK.. We know that because deep state  used some PKK elements in the past. (Apo and many Kurds know that/ Ergenekon case) In the past, there were many incidents deep state/JITEM and some people in PKK intertwined (the latest was http://www.turkishclass.com/forumTitle_47544_6 - posts 52-54).

But, anyway, in the end, we should be pleased with the situation.

The guns have stopped.. We should not forget the days we would wake up with the incidents ´PKK attacked an army post and killed 10; PKK did this; PKK did that´.

There is a whole 8 months to solve this problem.. 

Apo keeps sending messages like ´PKK, declare ceasefire; I am in negotiation with the state´ etc. 

There are even some rumours that he might be given a telephone line to speak with PKK directly.

At least we can see the light end of the tunnel after 30 years.

First of all, you should choose your words better. Don´t tell people to shut up on an open forum. It´s extremely rude. Second of all, I do know the relationship. Splintergroup doesn´t mean they are the best of friends. The root of any splintergroup is a disagreement somewhere of the way in which a common goal can be achieved. You just assume that I don´t know what I´m talking about because I don´t agree with the views that PKK is behind this? How childish of you to react in a "shut up" way.