ISTANBUL: Twin blasts rocked Istanbul on Saturday, with a car bomb detonating at a football stadium injuring at least 20 people as a suicide attacker struck a nearby park, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.
Around 20 police officers were injured in the stadium blast, said Soylu, although he did not specify whether there were civilians among the wounded.
The car bomb blast struck the area outside Istanbul giant Besiktas football team's stadium after a match against the Bursaspor club.
"Two bombings may have taken place according to our understanding: one outside the stadium... the other at Macka Park," Soylu told reporters.
"The explosion at Macka Park is believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber."
It is unclear whether anyone was injured in the park blast.
"The (stadium) attack targeted the riot police's bus," the minister said.
State broadcaster TRT World showed images of the wreckage of a car, engulfed in flames with emergency services swarming around the scene outside the sports venue.
Other footage showed severely damaged police vehicles, while witnesses said the force of the blast had shattered the windows of several nearby homes.
An AFP correspondent near the stadium saw ambulances gathering in the aftermath of the explosion, as well as broken glass on the road.
"I heard two explosions in less than one minute, followed by sound of gunshots," one witness told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Besiktas football club issued a statement condemning the attack.
"Terrorists... attacked our heroic security forces who ensure that both our fans and Bursaspor's supporters are safe. We will stand firm against the vile attackers who will never achieve their goal."
Bursaspor football club said none of its fans had been injured, privately-owned NTV television reported.
Police cordoned off the area around the stadium immediately after the blasts, which occurred near Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's office in Istanbul and about a kilometre (0.6 miles) from the busy Taksim Square, a magnet for tourists.
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