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An explosion tore through a busy Istanbul shopping street on Sunday, killing six and wounding dozens in what Turkey’s president said bore the signs of a “terror” attack.

Police cordoned off an area around Istiklal, where there were dense crowds on Sunday afternoon, and helicopters flew over the city centre as sirens sounded.

“I was 50-55 metres away, suddenly there was the noise of an explosion. I saw three or four people on the ground,” witness Cemal Denizci, 57, told AFP.

“People were running in panic. The noise was huge. There was black smoke,” he said.

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Female bomber arrested

The alleged Istanbul bomber has been arrested after Turkish police released chilling CCTV images showing a female suspect running away from the scene while clutching a rose.

The images of the woman – wearing a hijab, a leather jacket and camouflage combat trousers – showed her fleeing the street just moments before the attack, Sozcu reports.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has since confirmed the suspected bomber has been arrested.

“The person who dropped the bomb was detained by our General Directorate of Security,” he told TRT Haber.

Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he called a “vile attack”.

“It might be wrong if we say for sure that this is terror but according to first signs … there is a smell of terror there,” Erdogan told reporters during a press conference.

“The attempt to take over Turkey and the Turkish nation through terrorism will not reach its goal today or tomorrow,” he added.

“Our people can rest assured that the culprits behind the attack will be punished as they deserve.”

Meanwhile, Turkey’s vice president Fuat Oktay said there was some evidence to suggest the bomber may have been female.

“We believe that it is a terrorist act carried out by an attacker, whom we consider to be a woman, exploding the bomb,” he said.

The victims include government worker Yusuf Meydan and his young daughter Ecrin.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told news.com.au that so far, no Australians were known to be impacted by the tragedy.

“The Australian Government extends its condolences to the Government and people of Türkiye following the 13 November explosion in Istanbul,” the statement reads.

“At this time, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has not received any reports of Australians injured or missing.

“The Australian Consulate-General in Istanbul is continuing to make enquiries with local authorities to confirm if any Australians have been affected.”

Area targeted previously

Authorities offered few details and nobody immediately claimed responsibility, but Turkish cities in the past have been struck by Islamists and other groups.

Istiklal Avenue had been hit in the past during a campaign of attacks in 2015-2016 that targeted Istanbul and other cities including the capital Ankara.

Those bombings were mostly blamed on the Islamic State group and outlawed Kurdish militants, and killed nearly 500 people and injured more than 2000.

Sunday’s explosion occurred shortly after 4pm local time in the famous shopping street which is popular with locals and tourists.

According to images posted on social media at the time of the explosion, it was followed by flames and immediately triggered panic, with people running in all directions.

A large black crater was also visible in those images, as well as several bodies lying on the ground nearby.

According to an AFP correspondent on the scene, police established a large security cordon to prevent access to the damaged area for fear of a second explosion.

Istiklal, in the historic district of Beyoglu, is one of the most famous arteries of Istanbul, entirely pedestrianised for 1.4 kilometres.

Crisscrossed by an old tramway, lined with shops and restaurants, it is used by large crowds during the weekend.

In the neighbouring district of Galata, many stores closed early while some passers-by, who came running from the site of the explosion, had tears in their eyes.

A massive deployment of security forces barred all entrances, while a heavy deployment of rescue workers and police were visible.

A reaction came quickly from Greece, which “unequivocally” condemned the blast and expressed condolences to the government and people of Turkey.

Before Sunday’s deadly blast, the last terror attack in Istanbul occurred in 2017, when a nightclub mass shooting incident killed 39 people and wounded 79 others.

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