Turkish authorities on Sunday detained nine people suspected of involvement in a night of violence against offices of the main pro-Kurdish party in apparent reprisal for a deadly attack blamed on Kurdish militants.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said 20 of its offices across the country had been attacked after Saturday's suicide car bombing in the central city of Kayseri that left 14 soldiers dead.
It said several offices, including ones in Istanbul, were destroyed after being set on fire and ransacked by nationalist protesters while others were fired upon.
The raids sparked fears of further tensions in Turkey and even street fighting as the country is repeatedly hit by attacks blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its affiliates.
On Sunday, a policeman was killed in an accidental fall as protesters sought to raid the HDP office in the Umraniye district on the Asian side of Istanbul.
The officer fell after taking to a balcony of the building in a bid to persuade the protesters to stay away, police said in a statement. HDP party spokesman Ayhan Bilgen accused the authorities of turning a blind eye to the attacks but said the HDP had urged supporters to resist provocations. "An attempt is being made to create the conditions for conflict and a coup attempt in Turkey," he said in a statement.
All those detained are suspected of staging attacks on the party's buildings in Istanbul, the Dogan news agency said.
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