Explosion hits SE Turkey, 6 injured

By Sema Kaplan

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) – An explosion hit a police building in southeastern Turkey's Diyarbakir province on Friday.

The blast at Diyarbakir's Baglar police facility injured at least six people, according to security sources.

According to initial reports, the explosion took place at around 8 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) near a building used by riot police.

The blast also damaged nearby cars and premises.

Several fire-fighting vehicles and ambulances were seen rushing to the area following the incident.

An investigation is underway to discover the cause of the blast.

The explosion came after several Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers were detained early Friday for failing to appear for a summons to testify as part of a counter-terrorism investigation, Turkish security sources said.

Those detained include HDP co-chairs Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas, as well as the party’s parliamentary group leader Idris Baluken.

The lawmakers face prosecution under anti-terrorism laws after their parliamentary immunity was lifted earlier this year, along with other lawmakers from Turkey’s main political parties.

Unlike MPs from other parties who also faced investigations after their immunity was lifted, HDP lawmakers refused to appear to testify.

They are accused of spreading terrorist propaganda, among other charges, in relation to investigations into the PKK/KCK terror groups.