Turkey Interior Minister suspects terror attack behind Ankara blast

PanARMENIAN.Net - An explosion from a suspected car bomb ripped through a street in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday, September 20 near a neighborhood housing government buildings, killing three people and wounding 15, Interior Minister Naim Sahin said.

The blast struck the central Kizilay neighborhood less than a kilometer from the prime minister's office, the headquarters of the chief of general staff and several ministries.

Sahin said a parked car had exploded, setting off a chain of blasts as other vehicles blew up on a busy street. The vehicles, like many in Turkey, were powered by liquefied petroleum gas, making them more likely to explode, he said.

"It is highly probable that it's a terror attack," he said. "The explosion took place in a parked car, and was followed by explosions of other cars because they had LPG."

Sahin said the three people who were killed had been in nearby buildings. Of the 15 people who were wounded, five were in a critical condition.

"Kumrular street is a busy place in terms of human and vehicle traffic. It's seen that the explosion mainly targeted people," he said, Reuters reported.