16-year-old injured self in premature detonation of bomb

A group had gathered outside the Dağlıoğlu Police Station in Adana's Seyhan district, shouting slogans sympathetic to the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) organization and throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at the police standing outside the station.

R.A., 16, had planned on throwing a homemade bomb at the riot and terrorism police teams.

But the bomb instead went off in his hands. R.A. lost four fingers in the explosion and was taken by police to Adana State Hospital, where he continues to receive treatment for his injuries.

In comments to the Anatolia news agency, R.A. said a man named Vedat T. handed him the homemade bomb and told him to throw the explosive at the police.

After the explosion, R.A said, “All of my friends abandoned me and left,” adding: “I will tell the public prosecutor and police all that I know. I very much regret what I did. From now on I will give up bombs; I will not throw the smallest stone.”

Police arrested Vedat T. on the grounds of allegedly targeting police with explosives in seven unauthorized demonstrations in the Dağlıoğlu, Gülbahçesi, Ova and Barbaros neighborhoods. Police learned Vedat T. had been detained seven times and released pending trial.

The involvement of minors in terrorist attacks is not new in Turkey.

Last July a homemade bomb exploded in the hand of a 17-year-old boy following a failed effort to lob the bomb in the direction of police.

Researcher and author Mustafa Yakutcan told Today's Zaman in November 2011 that the PKK has been using minors in its attacks in recent years.

“The PKK can no longer move freely on Turkish soil, it cannot organize bomb attacks as successfully as it could in previous years and it doesn't have many chances to train and motivate its bombers in Turkey because the TSK doesn't allow it do so with its operations and measures against the organization in the eastern and southeastern parts of Turkey. The terrorist organization, therefore, has begun to use children and inexperienced bombers in its attacks,” he said.