Turkey detains 3 in connection with deadly Istanbul blast

Turkish police in the Mediterranean city of Antalya detained three Russian nationals in a raid on suspected fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Turkey's state-run news agency said Wednesday, a day after a suicide bomber killed 10 foreigners in a blast at Istanbul's historic Sultanahment tourist district.

After Tuesday's attack, which killed German nationals, Turkish authorities blamed ISIL, with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pledging to battle the armed group until it no longer "remains a threat" to Turkey or the world.

Russia's consulate general in Ankara confirmed the detention of the trio on Wednesday. 

“The reasons for their detention are being clarified,” Consul General Alexander Tolstopyatenko said, according to the Tass news agency.

The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency said the suspects were allegedly in contact with ISIL fighters in conflict zones and had provided logistical support to the group.

The Russian Foreign Ministry in November said 2,719 Russians had left for Syria to fight for ISIL. Of these, 160 have been killed, 73 have returned and been tried and 36 have been arrested, according to Oleg Syromolotov, the deputy minister of foreign affairs. 

Meanwhile, Turkey's interior minister Efkan Ala confirmed on Wednesday that the alleged suicide bomber had registered with Turkish immigration authorities but was not on any list of known “militant” suspects.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Tuesday that the bomber had been identified, was born in 1988, and was thought to have been living in Syria, from where he was believed to have recently entered Turkey.

Turkey, which like Germany is a member of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL, has become a target for the group.

It was hit by two major bombings last year blamed on the group, in the largely Kurdish town of Suruc near the Syrian border and in the capital Ankara, the latter killing more than 100 people at a pro-Kurdish rally in the worst attack of its kind on Turkish soil.

Wire services