Suicide Bomber Kills at least 10 in Touristy Area of Istanbul

A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people in a touristy area of Istanbul, senior security officials have confirmed.

The officials have stated that the attacker carried out the bombing under a plan designed by the Islamic State, the terrorist group that also goes by ISIS and ISIL. The bomber's exact ties were investigated immediately after the attack, which no group had claimed responsibility for, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated that the man came from outside of Turkey. Kurtulmus added that the attacker, believed to be of Syrian origin, was not one of the many people who have sought out asylum in Turkey.

The attack occurred at 10:15 am at Sultanahmet Square, also known as the Hippodrome of Constantinople, which is near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. All of these sites are major tourist attractions, but at the time of the bombing, the area was reportedly not too packed.

The majority of the causalities were German, the sources at the Prime Minister's office revealed. Several outlets are reporting that among those injured were one Norwegian, one Peruvian, nine Germans and a few Turkish locals. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has condemned the bombing.

She said, "Today, Istanbul was hit; Paris has been hit, Tunisia has been hit, Ankara has been hit before. Once again, international terrorism is showing its cruel and inhuman face today."

The German Foreign Office also issued a statement advising German travelers in Istanbul to be extra cautious and to avoid touristy areas for the time being.

The statement read, "Travelers in Istanbul are urgently advised to temporarily avoid crowds, even on public squares and outside tourist attractions. One has to continue to expect political tensions, violent confrontations and terrorist attacks across the country."

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has addressed the attack, stating that Turkey remains a No. 1 target for many terrorist groups. Erdogan vowed to continue to fight terrorism.

"This incident has once again shown that as a nation we should act as one heart, one body in the fight against terror. Turkey's determined and principled stance in the fight against terrorism will continue to the end," he said.

Turkey has been subjected to many terror attacks carried out by several different radical groups. The nation is a part of the U.S. led coalition that is focused on combating ISIS in the neighboring countries of Iraq and Syria.