17 Syrians face charges over Istanbul bombing — report

Turkey’s state-run news agency says 17 Syrians with suspected links to the suicide bomber who killed 10 Germans are being questioned by officials at an Istanbul court where they could face charges of membership in a terror group.

The Anadolu Agency says the 17 were referred to court Sunday following police questioning. It says separate proceedings against an 18th suspect — a minor — are still ongoing.

The suicide bomber set off an explosion Tuesday near German tourists just steps away from Istanbul’s landmark Blue Mosque, killing 10 of them. Turkish officials say the bomber, a Syrian, was affiliated with the Islamic State group. No group has claimed the attack.

There is no information on the suspects or on their alleged links to the bomber.

— AP

Turkish police stand guard next to ambulances as they block access to the Blue Mosque area after a suicide bombing in Istanbul’s tourist hub of Sultanahmet on January 12, 2016, in which 10 German tourists were killed. (AFP/Bulent Kilic)