March 2016 Istanbul bombing

March 2016 Istanbul bombing
Demirören AVM on İstiklal Avenue, near which the bombing took place.
Location	İstiklal Avenue, Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey
Coordinates	41°2′6″N 28°58′52″E / 41.03500°N 28.98111°E / 41.03500; 28.98111Coordinates: 41°2′6″N 28°58′52″E / 41.03500°N 28.98111°E / 41.03500; 28.98111
Date	19 March 2016 ~10:55 a.m. (UTC+2)
Target	Civilians
Attack type	Suicide bombing
Deaths	5 (including the perpetrator)
Non-fatal injuries	36
Perpetrators	Mehmet Öztürk

On 19 March 2016, a suicide bombing took place in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district in front of the district governor's office. The attack occurred at 10:55 (EET) at the intersection of Balo Street with İstiklal Avenue, a central shopping street. The attack caused at least five deaths, including that of the perpetrator. Thirty-six people were injured, including seven whose injuries were severe. Among those injured were twelve foreign tourists. Among those killed, two were of dual Israel-US nationality. On 22 March, the Turkish interior minister said that the bomber had links with ISIL.

The bombing was the fourth suicide bombing in Turkey in 2016, and occurred six days after a bombing in Ankara that left 37 people dead. The United States embassy in Ankara had issued a terrorism warning to its citizens the day before the bombing for Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Adana. The German embassy had also issued a security warning to its citizens three days before the bombing. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had called the warnings "normal". Germany had also closed its consulate on the avenue on Thursday and Friday as a security measure.

According to BBC, residents of Istanbul had already been vigilant before the attack due to the recent explosion in Ankara and were wary of going out. Following the bombing, according to Cumhuriyet, the Turkish government received heavy criticism on social media for defects in its security.

The bombing took place on İstiklal Avenue, a shopping area popular with tourists and considered the busiest avenue in Turkey. However, the bombing took place at a time when the avenue was relatively quiet. The site of detonation was a few hundred metres away from a place where police buses are usually parked. According to an eyewitness, the bomber detonated the bomb whilst passing by a group of tourists. Hundreds of people reportedly ran away from the site of attack in panic after the explosion. Nails and small pieces of metal were reportedly scattered in the area due to the attack. Following the bombing, the avenue was closed off to the public. According to a CNN Türk reporter on the scene, the suicide attacker was on his way to the actual target when the bomb went off in front of a restaurant. Another account from a Turkish official (cited by Reuters) states the bomber was "deterred" from his or her actual target by the police and set off the bomb "out of fear". Initial findings pointed to Kurdish perpetrators.