ISTANBUL
Bomb squads defused two bombs on the body of the female suicide bomber who attacked a tourism police station in Istanbul Tuesday evening, Turkish police said.
Officer Kenan Kumas died and another policeman was injured in the attack in Sultanahmet district, a tourist destination that houses the Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque) and the Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) museum.
“Further damage was prevented thanks to the immediate action of our heroic police forces who put their lives on the line," Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. "An expanded and detailed investigation will be conducted and when a tie to a (terrorist) organization is discovered, the necessary steps will be taken."
Davutoglu also said investigators are still trying to identify the bomber.
"At the time of the explosion, I was at a meeting at the Interior Ministry and have followed the developments minute by minute," Davutoglu added. "I wish God’s mercy upon our brother Kenan Kumas and my condolences to the family of our heroic police officer."
Istanbul's Governor Vasip Sahin said the English-speaking bomber entered into the police station and reported a missing wallet before blowing herself up.
On Thursday, a man was arrested after throwing a grenade and shooting at a police booth in front of Dolmabahce Palace, near the prime minister’s office in Besiktas district of Istanbul.
The attacker was reportedly a member of the far-leftist Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front.
