A total of 48 people had been detained in relation to an attack at the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, which killed six people, including a Syrian woman called Ahlam Albashir who is suspected to have planted the bomb, according to the state news agency Anadolu.

During initial questioning, the woman said she was trained by Kurdish militants in Syria and entered Türkiye through northwest Syria's Afrin region, the police said.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has denied any role in Sunday's attack.

"Our forces have nothing to do with the Istanbul bombing," said Mazloum Abdi, chief commander of the SDF.

The Kurdish militant group PKK also denied involvement in the attack, saying it did not target civilians, in a statement on its website on Monday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday strongly condemned the deadly bombing that occurred Sunday in Istanbul, which killed six people and injured 81 others.

Through a statement, the UN chief expressed his heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, as well as the government and people of the Republic of Türkiye. He also wished a swift recovery to the injured.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: Emergency personnel secure the scene after an explosion occurred on Istiklal street, a busy pedestrian thoroughfare in Istanbul, Türkiye, November 13, 2022. /CFP)