Ankara bombers linked to Islamic State, officials say

PanARMENIAN.Net - Two suicide bombers who carried out Saturday, October 10's attacks in Ankara are thought to have links to Islamic State (IS), Turkish officials have told the BBC, the news agency reports.

Their names are Yunus Emre Alagoz and Omer Deniz Dundar, officials confirmed.

The attacks in the capital, the worst in Turkey's modern history that left 97 people dead, triggered widespread anger against the government.

Ankara's police, intelligence and security chiefs have been suspended.

The bombers struck as crowds were gathering for a rally against violence between Turkish government forces and the outlawed PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party).

An official told the BBC in Istanbul that the first bomber was the brother of the man who carried out the bombing in the southern Turkish town of Suruc in July, killing more than 30 people.

The second is said to have been in Syria on two occasions.

While it is thought both men had links to IS, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said IS militants may have collaborated with their PKK counterparts, BBC says.

That would be unusual, BBC says, because the two groups are sworn enemies and the target of the Ankara attack was a mainly Kurdish gathering.

The interior ministry meanwhile has said the move to suspend the police, intelligence and security chiefs would enable a "robust" investigation to go ahead.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the site of the bombing on Wednesday. He has been criticized for not yet addressing the nation four days on from Turkey's worst ever attack and a time of national tragedy.

Separately, two people have been arrested with alleged links to the PKK for apparently tweeting before the attack that a bombing in Ankara was imminent.

The authorities are trying to establish if they had links to the bombers.