At least 38 killed including 30 police officers by two bombs in ‘inhuman terror attack’ at Besiktas football stadium in Istanbul
The two blasts targeted riot police hours after the end of a match between two top teams at the Vodafone Arena
A TWIN bomb attack outside a football stadium in Istanbul has killed 38 people - including 30 police officers.
Kurdish militants have claimed responsibility for the "inhuman" terror attack which wounded 160 others hours after the end of a match between two top teams at the Vodafone Arena on Saturday night.
The two bombs, a car packed with 300kg of explosives and a suicide bomb, struck at about 10.30pm in the Beşiktaş neighbourhood in the Turkish city.
At least 13 people have been arrested over the twin bombing which was carried out by militant group TAK, also known as the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons.
TAK, an offshoot of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), was also behind a deadly car bomb that claimed 11 lives in southeastern city Diyarbakır last month.
Turkey’s deputy prime minister, Numan Kurtulmuş, said Saturday's attack was "clearly planned".
Officials confirmed 30 police officers, seven civilians and an unidentified person were killed.
One of the victims has been named as 21-year-old medical student, Berkay Akbaş, who was visiting Istanbul with friends.
CCTV footage is believed to have captured the moment the car bomb went off outside the arena - home of Champions League side Besiktas FC.
The footage shows a bus driving outside the arena, near Taksim square in the Turkish city, before the explosion.
Traffic comes to a standstill before a flash of light shows the moment the suspected car bomb goes off.
Debris can then be seen raining down from the sky.
Armed police sealed off the streets outside the arena after the explosions which were aimed at causing "maximum casualties".
Horror photos showed the full devastation of the blasts which seemed aimed at local riot police.
Bodies were seen scattered on the streets near the stadium and one body was even retrieved off the roof of the arena.
Turkey declared a one-day morning after the twin blasts ripped through the heart of Istanbul.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also ordered flags to fly at half mast.
Funeral services for some of the officers killed in the attack started just after midday on Sunday at Istanbul's police headquarters.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Prime Minister were present to watch the police carry the coffins of the slain officers draped in the Turkish flag.
Speaking at the funeral, Interior Minister Soylu said: "Sooner or later, we will have our vengeance.
"This blood will not be left on the ground, no matter what the price, what the cost."
Mr Erdogan said the blasts were timed to cause maximum loss of life.
"A terrorist attack has been carried out against our security forces and our citizens," he said.
"We have witnessed once more here in Istanbul the ugly face of terror which tramples down any form of value and morals."
Police evacuated the area around the Besiktas football arena following the explosions.
The second explosion at nearby Macka Park was reportedly carried out by a suicide bomber.
There were also reports of gunfire at the sports venue.
A suspicious package was later detonated by the security services near the site of the two earlier blasts.
The scene is also about a half a mile from the busy Taksim Square, a magnet for tourists.
The Turkish FA expressed its "tremendous sorrow" at the injuries and condemned the "inhuman brutal terrorist attack".
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest atrocity.
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Turkey has seen a recent spate of militant attacks in major cities that have left dozens of people dead.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said the stadium explosion was a "cruel plot" and appeared to have been caused by a car bomb targeting a riot police bus.
"A car packed with explosives is believed to have exploded where our riot squad was deployed shortly after the football fans dispersed following the match," he said.
"The attack targeted the riot police's bus."
Many of those hurt are believed to be riot officers.
Dramatic footage captured the explosion -forcing a television presenter off-air during a live broadcast.
Right in the middle of the discussion an explosion rings out behind them, as the man on screen panics and flees.
Another video is said to show a young lad playing a guitar when the bomb is seen going off next to the football ground.
The blast came two hours after the end of a match between Besiktas and Bursaspor, among two of Turkey's top teams.
Besiktas, the Turkish Super Lig champions, released a statement condemning "the terrorists...who attacked our heroic security forces, who provided security for both our supporters and those of our visitors Bursaspor".
The Istanbul-based club added: "We hope that the citizens who were wounded in the attack will have a speedy recovery and that no greater suffering will be experienced.
"We condemn violence and hatred."
Reports said the explosion occurred at the exit where Bursaspor fans left the stadium, but the club said supporters had already left the stadium and that none of their fans had been caught up in the incident.
Bursaspor added that they wished the "injured security personnel and citizens a speedy recovery".
Police cordoned off the area immediately after the blast, which occurred near Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's office in Istanbul.
Turkey has experienced a bloody year of militant attacks in its two biggest cities that have left dozens dead and put the country on high alert.
Kurdish militants have twice struck in Ankara, while suspected Islamic State group suicide bombers have hit Istanbul on three occasions.
In June, 47 people were killed in a triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport, with authorities pointing the finger at Isis.
Another 57 people, 34 of them children, were killed in August in a suicide attack by an Isis-linked bomber at a Kurdish wedding in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.
The country is also still reeling from a failed July 15 coup blamed on the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen that has been followed by a relentless purge of his alleged supporters from state institutions.
Saturday's attack came hours after Turkey's ruling party submitted a parliamentary bill that would dramatically expand the powers and possibly the tenure of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a move his opponents fear will lead to one-man rule.
If approved, the 21-article constitutional change would see Turkey switch from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, amid concerns that the country's government is adopting increasingly authoritarian policies.