Policemen wounded in Istanbul bomb blast

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ISTANBUL, Turkey, March 1 (UPI) -- At least 10 Turkish policemen were injured Thursday by a remote control bomb that exploded near a passing police van in Istanbul, Turkey, officials said.

Istanbul Police Chief Huseyin Capkin said 10 police officers were injured, CNN International said.

Fifteen police officers and one civilian were injured, local media reports said.

Huseyin Avni Mutlu, the governor of Istanbul, told CNN the bomb was mounted on a motorcycle left at the side of the road. He said plastic explosives were used. It was unclear who was responsible.

The blast occurred near the Istanbul headquarters of the Justice and Development Party led by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Italian news agency Agenzia Giornalistica Italia said.

The Kuwaiti news agency KUNA said police cordoned off the area and ambulances transferred the wounded to hospitals.