AKP probes member for wishing Israelis injured in Istanbul attack had died

ANKARA

This photo shows the tweet by AKP member İrem Aktaş, which was later deleted.

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has initiated disciplinary proceedings against one of its district-level members for her comments on social media about March 19’s Istanbul blast, which killed at least five people and injured 39 others, a party official said.

Hatice Yücel, who heads Istanbul's Eyüp district women's branch, tweeted that comments of party member İrem Aktaş, who was the propaganda chief of the women’s branch, about blast victims of Israeli citizens did not reflect AKP's viewpoint.       

Aktaş wrote on Twitter in reply to a story on the Israelis injured in the Istanbul attack: “Let the Israeli citizens be worse, I wish they all died.” She later deleted the tweet and shut down her social media accounts. 

The party has launched disciplinary proceedings against Aktaş, which could result in her dismissal from the party, Yücel added.      

A suicide bomb attack in central Istanbul killed five people, including three Israelis and one Iranian, and injuring 39 people, including Israelis and other nationals.