At least 23 people have been killed by separate explosions near two synagogues in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The blasts rocked Istanbul’s largest synagogue, the Neve Shalom, in Beyoglu district and another synagogue nearby, shattering windows and damaging cars. Turkish officials said both explosions were caused by car bombs.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing body parts strewn on the street outside the Neve Shalom synagogue, the scene of another deadly attack in 1986. The blast at Neve Shalom destroyed the facade of the building, where worshippers were praying at the time, French news agency AFP reported. Minutes later, a second explosion rocked Beth Israel synagogue to the north, severely damaging the building. "We heard a deafening explosion. Then the electricity went out and it was mayhem," Mustafa, a local resident, told AFP.
At least 80 people are reported to have been injured in the blasts. There has been no statement from any group or organisation claiming responsibility for the explosions. Television pictures showed casualties being treated in the street outside Neve Shalom and being carried away on stretchers. The Neve Shalom synagogue was the scene of an attack in 1986, when Palestinian gunmen killed 22 worshippers and wounded six others during a Sabbath service. |