Turkey: 8 Held in Deadly Wedding Attack
By VOA News
05 May 2009
Turkey's interior minister said police have detained eight people suspected of involvement in Monday's attack on a wedding party in the southeastern part of the country.
Interior Minister Besir Atalay said Tuesday the assault killed 44 people.
Masked assailants with grenades and automatic weapons attacked a wedding party in the village of Bilge, about 600 kilometers from Ankara. At least six people were wounded and taken to the hospital in the nearby city of Mardin.
Atalay, who flew to the region Tuesday, said authorities believe the assault, which took place at the wedding of the daughter of a village official, was most probably the result of a blood feud between rival families.
The investigation is continuing.
A reporter for VOA noted that Bilge lies in an underdeveloped region where powerful clans rule much of everyday life and family vendettas can last for decades.
The area also has suffered from years of conflict between the Turkish government and Kurdish rebels.
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