ISTANBUL, July 30 (Reuters) - Nine people were detained on Wednesday in connection with two bombs in Istanbul on Sunday that killed 17 people and injured 150, state-run news agency Anatolian reported.

The bomb blasts, 50 metres and 10 minutes apart, were the worst such attacks Turkey since 2003, when al Qaeda carried out a series of bombings in Istanbul.

Investigation of the bombs is being carried out by the Istanbul state prosecutor and anti-terrorism security forces.

No one has claimed responsiblity, although authorities have pointed the finger at the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The PKK has denied any involvement.

Some 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK took up arms in 1984 seeking an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey. (Reporting by Thomas Grove; editing by Robert Hart)

AlertNet news is provided by