10 dead & 15 wounded in blast in Sultanahmet, tourist area of Istanbul - Turkish officials https://t.co/rKVeFkVc0Z pic.twitter.com/DtRh65kGR7
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 12, 2016
A suicide bomber in the historic Sultanahmet tourist area of Istanbul, Turkey, has killed at least 10 people, most of whom are foreigners, the BBC reports.
"I condemn the terror incident in Istanbul assessed to be an attack by a suicide bomber with Syrian origin. Unfortunately we have 10 dead including foreigners and Turkish nationals," President Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters.
While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, two senior Turkish security officials told Reuters that there was a "high probability" that the Islamic State was behind the explosion, which took place near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, two major tourist attractions.
According to the New York Times, the Sultanahmet also has some of the most visited monuments in the city. Besides the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, there is also a Byzantine-era former racetrack. By Tuesday afternoon, most of the square had been cordoned off by investigators.
Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for further updates to this developing story.