NewsLab

Blind attack in the Gungoren district…explosive mixture in the foundations of the Turkish state, just hours before the confrontation between country’s old-guard secular elite and the political Islam begins. With political tensions rising by the day in Turkey and Istanbul waking to the deadliest attack against civilians in the country in five years, officials have been linking the bomb to the Kurdish rebel group.

Even Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan implied that Kurdish separatists hide behind the bombings.  Police is searching for similarities. One bomb was placed in a garbage bin, a familiar technique for PKK. However, Kurdish separatists have never put in their sight so many innocent citizens. Turkish Internal minister revealed that TNT  explosive was used in the attacks while newspapers reported it was actually RDX . Both of these materials have been used for military aims, demolitions and in unsolved terrorist acts.  PKK immediately denied any involvement.  The attack happened on the eve of a court’s deliberations on whether to ban the Islamic-oriented ruling party AKP for allegedly trying to undermine secularism and the timing raised questions about whether there was a link.  This trial constitutes the climax of the conflict between the defenders of secularism and the Erdogan government. Two different ideologies,  two different centres which claim power. During the last fifty years, 24 parties were declared illegal in Turkey. However none of them was in power.  The public prosecutor asks the prohibition of the governing party, as well as five-year exclusion from the political life of 71 politicians, including  Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish president Abdullah Gul. The government speaks for juridical coup d’etat. At this point, it is unclear in which direction the country is heading.