Istanbul’s Istiklal Avenue Turns Red in Memory of Victims of Sunday’s Attack

Citizens and tourists festooned Istanbul’s busy Istiklal Avenue with thousands of Turkish flags and bouquets of red carnations on Monday and Tuesday to commemorate the victims of the terror attack there on Sunday. The busy avenue at the heart of Istanbul’s historic Beyoglu district was rocked by an explosion on Sunday afternoon that killed six people and injured 81. Authorities say 24 people are still hospitalized, two in critical condition.

The main suspect in the bombing, a Syrian national identified as Alham Albashir, was arrested soon after the explosion. The Istanbul Police Department says she carried out the attack on orders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Syrian armed organization that Turkey says is a branch of the PKK, the People’s Protection Units (YPG). Turkey considers both to be illegal terrorist organizations.

“We will heal our wounds quickly, and we will work together to continue the peace in our city,” said Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who visited the site on Monday afternoon.

The same avenue was the target of an Islamic State suicide attack in 2016 that killed five people and wounded 36.