Istanbul Rocked By Suspected Suicide Bomb

At least 15 people have been injured in a suspected suicide bomb attack in Istanbul's main square.  

The blast rocked the city's central Taksim Square, Turkish television channel NTV reported.

The suspected bomber targeted a police vehicle, NTV said.

TV footage showed police and ambulances rushing to the scene.

Journalist Dorian Jones, reporting from the square, said there was a loud explosion followed by gunfire.

"I can see what appears to be the remains of one body outside a police bus," Jones told Sky News.

"In Taksim Square, which is at the heart of Istanbul, there is always a police presence of about three or four police buses.

"It appears someone carrying a bomb tried to get on one of the buses.

"The bomb went off prematurely and it appears the person carrying it was killed."

All of the injured have been taken to hospital. A security cordon was thrown round the area and the nearby pedestrianised Istiklal street was closed off.

Members of the separatist rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and extreme left-wing groups have carried out bomb attacks in the past in Istanbul.