Thus far, there has been no claim of responsibility for today’s deadly attack in Istanbul, Turkey.
However, suspicion has been directed at Islamic State, or ISIS, and Kurdish terrorists who perpetrated the two recent attacks in Ankara, Turkey’s capital.
DNA samples have been taken from family members of two suspected Islamic State terrorists who could be the bomber responsible for today’s carnage.
Israeli media is reporting that the bomber is a Turkish national, Sabash Yildiz, 33, is affiliated with Islamic State.
{Matzav.com}
Prayers for the deceased, maimed and injured from this terrible attack in Istanbul.
You can tell a few things from the 21 second video of the suicide bomber.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZtgXKWv59M
(1) He has spotted the Israeli tour group probably just before and he is walking to the left of the woman in the white coat, bag strapped over her right shoulder, blue jeans, maroon pullover. Following her, positioning himself for the next move.
(2) He has obviously done some training in understanding what the Israeli modern day Hebrew accent sounds like. This would not be hard to do over a few weeks. And for a trial run he could hang around the tourist areas in Istanbul to improve his recognition of Israeli Jewish tourists. Spotting his mark. (Many Israelis also have a certain body language when on tour. So they are not difficult to spot.)
(3) From observation of that area in İstiklâl Caddesi he would know that there was high probability that some Israeli tourists would walk through there on a Saturday.
(4) In the video at the 3 second mark, after he has confirmed that the women in the white coat is an Israeli Jew who is leading a tour group, or group of friends, he looks back and to his left in the same direction as the woman in the white coat to make sure the group is heading his way.
(5) Cool as a cucumber he heads to the centre of the street knowing that the Israeli group is heading his way. Then he detonates the suicide vest.
What can be gathered from this operation…
(a) Detailed, yet not difficult planning, has gone on.
(b) Israeli Jews were definitely the target. (The others injured, maimed and killed, i.e. Iranian, Turks, Irish etc. were “collateral damage”. A bonus for the bomber, yet they were not the primary target.)
(c)The Islamic State continues to be underestimated. They are certainly not the “J.V.Team”.
(d) As I have been saying since late 2013, the longer the Syrian Civil War goes on the more “spill-over” there will be. Thus the optimal solution plan must be followed now. The Russians and the Iranians must try and sway the Assad Regime to agree to the transitional process with all of the non-IS moderate Sunni Opposition, and that includes : Jabhat Al Nusra; Jaish al Islam; Ahrar ah Sham; Jaysh el Fateh; The Turkmen etc. The cancer of the Syrian Civil War must not be allowed to metastasize even further.
(e) This is the third confirmed Islamic State inspired “spill-over” attack on Israeli Jewish citizens since the start of the year. i.e. Jan. 1st – The Tel Aviv Café Attack; Feb. 7th – The Sudan perpetrator in Ashkelon and now this suicide bombing in İstiklâl Caddesi today. (Shin Bet et al. have also foiled more attacks from potential IS linked Israeli Muslims and the Palestinian Security services have also foiled such attacks. Take note…The momentum for such IS sponsored attacks will only increase the longer the optimal solution track is not followed.)
(f) The Islamic State would not have developed to this point if the Syrian Civil War had not happened in the first place.
(g) The correct approach now to deal with the Islamic State is via the application of a balance of sefirotic modalities. I know what this balance is.
(h) The peace talks process to end the Syrian Civil War is connected to the Islamic State problem. They are joined at the hip. Squares on a Rubik’s Cube are interconnected. You get the point.
(i) The Syrian Civil War/Islamic State Puzzle can be solved. It is not an impossible puzzle. There is a way forward. High level international co-operation is required and the right team to manage and oversee the process.
(j) I repeat…A moderate traditional monotheistic centre in the Holy Land must be delineated, empowered and established ASAP. This centre will transmute, counter-balance and redeem the extremist orbits over time. The vast majority of Muslims in Turkey, Syria, Egypt, The Sinai, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian Areas will reject the extreme version of Islam offered by the Islamic State, if they have a choice of another model. However, if certain young Muslim men and women see no other chance they may continue to join the Islamic State and agree to such missions as this one committed in the heart of Istanbul today.
(k) All concerned national leaders in their capitals in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Gaza City, Doha, Ankara, Damascus, Southern Beirut, Tehran, Cairo, Amman, Moscow, London and Washington D.C. must realise now that they must agree to the optimal solution plan to end the Syrian Civil War. This involves step (j) I outline above. Time is of an essence…