Attack on bus carrying prison guards kills one in Bursa

BURSA

An explosion in the northwestern province of Bursa early on April 20 killed a prison guard and injured several others in an incident what officials described as a terror attack.

A remote-controlled handmade explosive detonated in the Osmangazi district in Bursa, as the bus was transporting the guards to a prison in the region.

The explosion occurred around 8 a.m.

“Our evaluation is that a hand-made bomb, which was left beneath an electricity pole, was detonated by remote control as the prison vehicle was passing by,’’ Bursa Governor Yakup Canbolat told reporters after inspecting the scene.

Canbolat said there were around 30 people on the bus. All of them were taken to hospitals as a precaution, he said.

Cengiz Yiğit, 36-years-old prison guard, lost his life in the attack. One of the guards wounded was in critical condition.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, who went to the scene of the attack with the Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ, said an investigation had been launched to find the perpetrators.

“Prosecutors in coordination with the Governor’s office and the police are conducting necessary work, and I believe the probe could be concluded soon,” Soylu told reporters after visiting the wounded personnel in the hospital.

Security forces succesfully foil planned terror attacks, but there is always risks, the minister added. “We are determined to root out all terrorist cells. The perpetrators of this terror act will be apprehended and punished,” Soylu said.

For his part, Bozdağ said that some circles have been making claims about ill treatment and torture in prisons.

“We are responsible for the safety of inmates, and prison guards are there to meet inmates’ needs. There is no ill treatment or torture in Turkey’s prisons,” the minister added