Suspect in motorbike bombing in Istanbul detained

The prime suspect in a motorbicycle bombing targeting a police station in Istanbul a day earlier was captured in the central Anatolian city of Aksaray on Friday, Turkish media reported.

The suspect, believed to be a member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), was netted in a car at a security check point, the state-run Anadolu Agency said, noting the man has a fake ID card.

Two others in the car were detained as well, the agency added.

Three more were captured in Istanbul over the bombing, in which an explosive-laden motorcycle detonated on Thursday near a police station not far from the Ataturk Airport in the metropolis, wounding 10 persons.

Security analyst Abdullah Agar told Xinhua that motorbike bombing could be considered as a new method being adopted by the PKK in its attacks on big cities.

"It is very easy to sneak into the targeted area without getting attention, passing form the security check points in a smooth way," noted Agar.

In his view, the latest bombing by the PKK was avenging the government troops' operation in Kurds-dominated southeastern Turkey.

Some 348 PKK members were killed during the operation in the city of Hakkari alone.

"PKK members have been very depressed by the recent losses to the Turkish army," Agar said. "As part of a 'show of force,' PKK is seeking to expand the conflict in the southeastern part of the country to other metropolises."

Istanbul and Ankara, the national capital, have come under a spate of bombing attacks over the past year blamed either on the PKK or the Islamic State.

The PKK fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey is listed as a terror organization by the European Union and the United State as well. Endit