Turkish Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu has announced the arrest of a woman allegedly involved in the explosion which killed six persons and injured 81 others in the middle of Istiklal Street in Taksim Square, located in Istanbul city of Turkey.
Soylu revealed that the security services in Istanbul managed to arrest the person who placed the bomb on Istiklal Street, accusing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of being behind the explosion.
He pointed out that the explosion was caused by the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian branch of the PKK in the Syrian Kobane (Ayn Al-Arab) region.
Soylu added that it seems that the woman who carried out the operation came from the Afrin region in northern Syria.
The Turkish media broadcast the moment when the accused's home was raided and arrested.
He stated that the attack killed 6 Turkish citizens and wounded 81 people, two of whom are in very critical condition, and five who are still in intensive care.
The Governor of Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya, stated that the 6 victims who were killed by the explosion are Turkish citizens. They are a woman and her daughter, a man, and his daughter, and a man and his wife.
Turkish Vice President, Fuat Oktay, said earlier that the blast was thought to be a terrorist attack carried out by a woman.
The Turkish Minister of Justice, Bekir Bozdag, said a woman had sat on a bench in the area for more than 40 minutes, leaving just minutes before the blast took place.
He added that the conclusions indicate that the explosion occurred either with a self-detonating device or a remote control.