Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday the Islamic State group is the prime suspect as investigators work to determine who was responsible for Saturday's double suicide bombing in Ankara that killed at least 97 people.
Davutoglu said authorities are close to identifying one of the bombers, and that evidence points to "a certain group." He said, "It was determined how the suicide bombers got there."
Turkish newspapers reported that authorities have obtained DNA samples from families of at least 16 people believed to be Islamic State insurgents to compare with those of the suspected bombers.
Rally targeted
No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts that targeted a peace rally.
The explosions also wounded 160 people in what was the worst attack of its kind in Turkey's history.
Davutoglu said the bombings were aimed at influencing parliamentary elections set for November 1 in Turkey, but that the vote will go on as scheduled.
The prime minister had earlier called for the nation to unite against terrorism, but with no claim of responsibility for Saturday's attack, competing groups in Turkey turned to blaming each other.
Lawmakers from the ruling AKP party claimed the blasts were a conspiratorial effort by Kurdish separatists to try to make the government look bad, while others accused the pro-Kurdish HDP party of bombing its own supporters at the rally in order to boost its appeal before the elections.
Meanwhile, nearly a dozen funerals were being held Monday across Istanbul for the nearly 100 victims of Saturday’s attack.
