merrycaepa | suicide bombing in İstanbul

At 9:00 local time, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb directly outside a police point in Taksim Square, killing himself and wounding 32, including 15 police officers (riots and demonstrations are not uncommon in Taksim and the adjacent Istiklal Caddesi, so police vans are a permanent fixture). Reports indicate that the bomber attempted to enter one of the police vans before detonating the explosives directly outside. There is some indication that a secondary charge was intended to detonate shortly after the first, presumably targeting rescue workers, but it either failed to detonate or was defused. Although this comes both on the day celebrating the founding of modern Turkey (the day itself was Friday, but the parade had been rescheduled to Sunday due to inclement weather) and the appointed day of a cease-fire between the Turkish government and the PKK, the PKK have not claimed responsibility, and there is some indication that al-Qaeda may be responsible (or one of a thousand other splinter groups; the TAK is also mentioned). Below is a roundup of links from various news organizations; some give the casualty toll variously at at 15, 22, or 32, depending on how recently the report was filed.

Al Jazeera: "Suicide Blast Hits Istanbul"
Hürriyet Daily News: "32 injured in bomb attack in Istanbul's Taksim Square"

"Eyewitnesses of Istanbul bomb tell of panic"
"Turkish official cautions against early judgment on Taksim attack"

Today's Zaman: "Suicide bomb attack injures 32 in İstanbul's Taksim Square" (incl. photos; warning: one w/ graphic content)

"At least 32 wounded in İstanbul explosion"
"Who is behind the suicide attack in Taksim?" (nb: I include this one with some trepidation for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it so flagrantly disregards Atalay's warnings that speculation will not be helpful and in fact is harmful. Also, it's not terribly well written)