A suicide bomb ripped through crowds of shoppers and cafe-goers in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, injuring 32 people as a ceasefire by the separatist PKK came to an end. The blast targetted riot police patrolling the busy Taksim Square in the centre of Turkey's economic capital, police chief Huseyin Capkin said. "We think it was a suicide attack," he said, adding that the bomb had gone off before the bomber reached his target. "He tried to get into a police bus but didn't succeed," he said. Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu told reporters 32 people had been injured in the blast, 17 civilians and 15 police officers. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he called a "terrorist" attack during a tour of majority-Kurd southeastern Turkey. "We will not tolerate anybody attacking the peace, stability and security of Turkey," Erdogan said during a trip to the city of Mardin. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, and Interior Minister Besir Atalay said it was too early to say who was behind it. But analysts quoted by television stations pointed to the likely involvement of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), whose unilateral ceasefire declared on August 13 was due to end on Sunday. The rebel movement and extreme left-wing groups have carried out bomb attacks in the past in Istanbul, home to more than 12 million inhabitants.
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