Remote-controlled bomb targets Istanbul police

A remote-controlled roadside bomb wounded 10 people, mostly policemen, when it exploded near a passing police bus in the centre of Istanbul on Thursday, Turkish authorities said.

"It appears to be a remote-controlled bomb that went off as a duty vehicle with 21 policemen on board drove by," Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin told the Anatolia news agency.

Huseyin Avni Mutlu, the governor of Istanbul, was quoted by the agency as saying that the device was composed of plastic explosives.

"The bomb was planted on a motorcycle waiting by the roadside, and went off around 0700 GMT as the police vehicle passed," Mutlu added.

The blast hit close to the offices of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said the private NTV news channel.

Witnesses in nearby vehicles spoke of a strong blast that had left their cars rocking, causing panic.

The wounded were admitted to hospital but none of their injuries are critical, Capkin added.

Police blocked access to the blast zone, fearing a second explosion.

Several outlawed armed groups -- Kurdish, Islamist and leftist extremist -- have carried out bomb attacks in Istanbul in the past.

Last September a powerful bomb rocked the centre of the capital Ankara, killing three people and wounding at least 15.

And a bomb blast in May last year injured eight people near a bus stop in Etiler, an upscale district in Istanbul.

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