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ISTANBUL: A suspected car bomb outside a soccer stadium in central Istanbul wounded around 20 people on Saturday hours after the end of a match between two of Turkey's top teams, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.
Soylu, speaking in parliament during a budget hearing, said around 20 people had been wounded following the match between Besiktas and Bursaspor and that initial indications were that the blast was caused by a car bomb targeting a riot police bus.
Two witnesses told Reuters that there were two blasts. A Reuters photographer said many riot police officers had been seriously wounded.
Armed police sealed off streets around the Vodafone Arena, home to the Besiktas soccer team. TV footage showed what appeared to be the wreckage of a burned out car and two separate fires on the road outside the stadium.
Broadcaster NTV said the explosion targeted a police vehicle that was leaving the stadium after fans had already dispersed.
Turkey has been hit by a series of bombings in recent years, some blamed on Islamic State militants, others claimed by Kurdish and far-leftist militant groups.
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