10 German victims of Istanbul suicide attack returned home

ISTANBUL

A German Air Force cargo plane carrying the coffins of 10 German tourists killed in a suicide bomb attack at Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district has left the city's main airport to fly the bodies home.

Police on Jan. 16 escorted the convoy of 10 funeral vehicles from a forensic medicine institute morgue to the Ataturk airport, where the Germany military plane was on standby.

The suicide bomber set off the explosion near a group of German tourists on Jan. 12, just steps away from the landmark Blue Mosque, killing 10 of them. Authorities said the victims ranged in age from 51 to 73.

Turkish officials have said the bomber, a Syrian, was affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Turkish authorities have detained seven people in connection with the attack.