Turkey: Top police chiefs removed after Ankara bombings
Ankara police chief and two senior officials discharged after deadly suicide bomb attack
The Interior Ministry has dismissed top police officials in capital Ankara in the wake of the twin suicide bombings that rocked the city Saturday, killing 97 people.
The ministry said in a statement late Tuesday that Ankara police chief Kadri Kartal, as well as heads of the security and intelligence departments were removed for a "robust" probe into the deadliest terrorist attack in recent Turkish history.
"Deputy Director Ahmet Hakan Arikan has been assigned as acting Director of Ankara Provincial Security Directorate," the statement read.
The decision to remove the officials came after a proposal from chief inspectors investigating the attack, the statement added.
On Saturday morning, two explosions outside Ankara’s main train station killed at least 97 people who had gathered for a peace rally, while leaving more than 240 people wounded.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus on Monday, two suicide bombers carried out the attack, each of whom used about five kilograms of TNT explosives.
The blasts have shaken Turkey as the country faces a general election re-run on Nov. 1, while counter terrorism operations continue in the southeast and an ongoing civil war carries on along its southern border in Syria.
