Istanbul suicide bomber identified as IS member

The Turkish authorities on Sunday identified the suicide bomber, whose attack in central Istanbul the day before killed four foreigners, as a member of the Islamic State (IS) group.

In a televised speech, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said the man who carried out the attack was Mehmet Ozturk, an IS member born in Turkey's southeastern province of Gaziantep in 1992.

Five people have been detained over the deadly attack in Istanbul's renowned Istiklal Street on Saturday morning, in which four others were killed including an Israeli, two Israeli-Americans and an Iranian, and 36 others injured, among them 13 foreigners.

Ozturk's father and brother were also detained in Gaziantep, CNNTurk said.

Istanbul and capital Ankara, have come under repeated bombing attacks in recent months, with the last one hitting Ankara on March 13, killing 37. Endit