(Combines two stories, adds background)

ISTANBUL, Sept 27 (Reuters) - An explosion caused by an industrial gas canister wounded three people in central Istanbul on Thursday, a police official said.

The official had earlier told Reuters a bomb had gone off in a shop in central Istanbul, near the main tourist area on the European side of the city.

Bombings are not uncommon in Turkey where Kurdish separatists, al Qaeda and far leftists have all been blamed for attacks.

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