The Islamic State group is the focus of investigations into a twin suicide bombing that killed at least 97 people in the Turkish capital of Ankara and investigators are close to identifying one of the suspects, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday.
In a live interview on Turkish broadcaster NTV, Davutoglu said Saturday's attack was an attempt to influence the outcome of a parliamentary election on Nov. 1 and that necessary steps will be taken if security failures were found to have contributed to the bombing.
"It was definitely a suicide bombing. DNA tests are being conducted. It was determined how the suicide bombers got there. We're close to a name, which points to one group," he said of the worst attack in Turkey of its kind.
Two senior security sources said Sunday that initial signs suggest the Islamic State was behind the attack, and that it bore a striking similarity to a July suicide bombing in Suruc, near the Syrian border, which was blamed on the radical Islamists.
Saturday's twin explosions happened seconds apart as hundreds gathered for a march organized by pro-Kurdish activists and civic groups to protest a conflict between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants in the southeast of the country.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, which said it was the target of the attack, has put the death toll at 128 and said it had identified all but eight of the bodies. Davutoglu's office has said 97 people were killed.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.