The plazas and cobblestone streets of the historic heart of Istanbul were without their usual bustle Wednesday, a day after a suicide bomber believed to be linked to the Islamic State killed 10 people just a stone’s throw from some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
Police and news crews outnumbered tourists in the Sultanahmet district, where the attacker — identified by Turkish authorities as a 28-year-old of Syrian origin — approached a German tour group and detonated his vest.
On Wednesday, a smattering of tourists milled around the square, some stopping to lay flowers beside the Obelisk of Theodosius, an ancient Egyptian monolith next to which the attacker struck.
Meanwhile, security forced conducted operations around the country against suspected Islamic State cells.