Istanbul bomber affiliated with Daesh

Mehmet Öztürk, the Istanbul suicide bomber, who is responsible for the deaths of four people and the injury of 30 civilians in İstiklal Avenue on Saturday, was affiliated with the Daesh terrorist organization, said Interior Minister Efkan Ala at a press conference in Istanbul on Sunday.

A suicide attack occurred on a popular Istanbul avenue on Saturday morning when a suicide bomber blew himself up near the Beyoğlu district governorate.

Three people were died at the scene and one in hospital while 34 others were injured in the attack.

Turkish police announced earlier on Saturday that they had identified the attacker as the 24-year-old Mehmet Öztürk, a Turkish national.

“The Istanbul bomber was born in 1992 in Turkey's southeastern Gaziantep province,” the minister also confirmed and added that security forces have detained five suspects so far in relation to Istanbul bombing.

In an earlier report, local media said police detained Öztürk's father and brother for a DNA test. The culprit was identified from DNA matched to his father, Istanbul police said earlier on Sunday.

According to police, Öztürk's family had informed police several months ago about him going missing.