10 people taken into custody over Ankara bombings

ANKARA

AA Photo

Ten more people have been taken into custody in connection with the Oct. 10 Ankara Massacre, Turkey’s prime minister has said, reiterating that initial evidence suggested two terror organizations were behind the attack, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 

“Ten more detentions occurred [Oct. 14 and 15] by tracing [these two organizations]. Investigations continue in a serious spirit and have been deepened after these 10 detentions. Our efforts will continue until the behind-the-scenes actors are revealed,” Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said in an interview with TGRT TV on Oct. 15. 

Davutoğlu wanted the public to feel assured that whoever was responsible for the attack would be identified and made public. “Likewise, whoever tries to create a chaos, an environment open to provocations will also be taken before the court,” he said. 

The Turkish prime minister openly said the prime suspect of the Ankara massacre was ISIL and that the links of the second suicide bomber signaled the involvement of the outlawed PKK in the deadly attack.
 
The DNA examination of the first suicide bomber is reportedly associated with the ISIL whereas the links of the second bomber indicate the PKK’s presence, with Davutoğlu astonishingly claiming the two organizations had reached a secret deal in May along with the Bashar al-Assad regime to cooperate against the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and – ipso facto – Turkey.

Davutoğlu did not elaborate as to why ISIL and the PKK continue to be sworn enemies, with the latter continuing to be one of the jihadists’ most effective enemies in Iraq and Syria. The prime minister also did not touch on what the PKK might gain by bombing the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), especially with all polls suggesting the party will exceed the 10 percent threshold in the Nov. 1 elections.

Davutoğlu stressed that there were both ISIL- and PKK-affiliated names among the 10 detentions.
 
PM approves of NYT’s observation 

One of the main issues of the country after the deadly attack that put the entire country in a deep shock was the inability of the political system to stand united against terror due to deep polarization, which was the subject of a New York Times story as well.
 
“Unfortunately, it’s such a correct observation. This saddens me so much. I was watching our national team’s 3-0 win against the Dutch [national football team] when the Dağlıca attack happened [on Sept. 6]. I left the stadium after I was notified about it. But instead of rejoicing for the victory over Netherlands, it was me who was criticized. Now there is such a picture [of Turkey] that can’t unite on either a good or bad day,” he said.    
Davutoğlu underlined that he wanted to issue a joint declaration of four political parties do denounce terrorism but other leaders did not accept this. He particularly criticized HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş for claiming the state was responsible for massacre, but Davutoğlu left a door open for him, saying: “I make a call to him. Why not meet him if he accepts he made a mistake?”