ANKARA: An explosion at a tax office in the Turkish capital was caused by a bomb — not a gas leak as initially believed, authorities said Friday, adding that the suspected bomber had been killed in a police operation.
The Ankara governor’s office said authorities had also detained eight people suspected of links to the alleged bomber, whom it identified as a man who had trained with Kurdish militants in Syria.
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Thursday’s explosion damaged the tax office building in the city’s Cukurambar district but did not cause any casualties.
It came as Turkey’s military pushed ahead with a cross-border offensive into an enclave in northern Syria to rout a Syrian Kurdish militia group it says is linked to outlawed Kurdish rebels in Turkey.
Authorities initially said they believed the blast was a gas explosion but did not rule out the possibility of “sabotage.” The statement said the suspect was identified with the help of security cameras that showed him leaving a bag believed to contain an explosive at the entrance to the tax office.
