ANKARA, Turkey—Thousands mourned the 95 victims of Turkey’s deadliest attack in years as state inspectors tried Sunday to identify who sent suicide bombers to a rally promoting peace with Kurdish rebels.
The government said Kurdish rebels or ISIS extremists were likely responsible, while mourners accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of fomenting violence to gain votes for the ruling party.
No one has claimed responsibility, but the attack bears similarities to a suicide bombing the government blames on the ISIS group that killed 33 Turkish and Kurdish peace activists near a town bordering Syria in July.
Police detained 14 suspected ISIS members Sunday in the central Turkish city of Konya, but it wasn’t clear if they were related.
Some Turkish media declared that peace itself was under attack. The bombers struck hours before Kurdish rebels battling Turkish security forces followed through with plans to declare a unilateral cease-fire, to reduce tensions leading up to Nov. 1 elections.
Turkey’s government rejected the declaration, saying the rebels must lay down arms for good and leave the country. Turkey’s military meanwhile carried out more cross-border airstrikes against Kurdish shelters and positions in the Zap and Metina regions of Iraq.
While no one group has been ruled out in the bombings, government opponents blamed security forces for failing to protect the peace rally.
“The state which gets information about the bird that flies and every flap of its wing, was not able to prevent a massacre in the heart of Ankara,” said Selahattin Demirtas, co-chairman of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party.
On Sunday, police fired tear gas and scuffled with the mourners—some chanting “Murderer Erdogan!”—who tried to reach the blast site to lay carnations. A group of about 70 was eventually allowed to enter the cordoned-off area.
More than 10,000 also gathered in Turkey’s mostly Kurdish southeastern city of Diyarbakir, holding a moment of silence for the victims, including hundreds of wounded.
