Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has announced that seven people have been detained while police search for five other suspects in relation to a car bomb attack that claimed the lives of 14 soldiers and injured 55 others, including civilians, in the central province of Kayseri on Saturday.
Soylu also said in a statement on Saturday afternoon that Turkish police have identified the assailant, but he did not reveal any name.
“When our work is done, the public will be informed. All our security forces have taken an oath [to capture the attackers]. We will give the necessary punishment in the shortest time possible,” added the minister.
In an earlier statement on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice and Development Party (AKP) government spokesperson Numan Kurtulmuş blamed the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for the bomb attack in Kayseri.
The explosion occurred just as a public bus carrying off-duty soldiers and civilians drove past a car carrying explosives. The bomb exploded at an entrance gate to Erciyes University.
“All signs point to the PKK,” Kurtulmuş told NTV on Saturday afternoon.