(VOVworld) - A Turkish member of the Islamic State was the perpetrator of a suicide bombing in Istanbul last week. Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said in a televised news conference on Sunday that the attacker was identified as Mehmet Ozturk, a Turkish citizen born in 1992 in the southern city of Gaziantep. There had been no previous warrants issued for Ozturk before the suicide bombing killed 4 people and injured dozens of others. Turkish security forces detained 5 individuals who have connections to the attack, Ala said.

Emergency services at the scene of a suicide bombing on a busy shopping street in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 19 (Photo: AP)

Police are on high alert across Turkey and security measures have been tightened during Newroz, the Persian spring festival this weekend that is widely celebrated by Kurds. Ala declared a ban on Newroz celebrations in several cities. He also declared a curfew in 7 provinces and Sirnak city due to fears of violence.