Deadly attack follows Erdogan rally

Policeman killed in northern city of Kastamonu after campaign visit earlier in the day by Turkish prime minister.

A policeman has been killed in an attack in northern Turkey shortly after prime minister Recep Tayyip Edrogan held an election rally, according to Turkish television. Erdogan had already left the city of Kastamonu when the attack happened, NTV news reported. Attackers threw an explosive device and opened fire on a bus carrying police, NTV said. The vehicle was accompanying a campaign bus for Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP). Another policeman was injured in the attack, according to the Anatolia News Agency. Addressing a rally later in Amasya, Erdogan appeared to blame separatists for the attack. "Those dark minds, these terrorists, these separatists are only able to do this, those who understand there is nothing they can do through the ballot box," Erdogan said. Kurdish separatist fighters belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have waged a decades-long campaign for Kurdish independence, mostly from the southeast of the country. Turkey goes to the polls in parliamentary elections on June 12.

Source: Agencies