Turkey arrests 9 people over deadly bombing

A search and rescue team member and his dog work on one of the scenes of the twin car bomb attacks in the town of Reyhanli of Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border May 12, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

ANKARA - Turkey has arrested nine Turks over the deadly bombings in the town of Reyhanli near the border with Syria, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay told reporters on Sunday.

The twin car bombings on Saturday killed at least 46 people and injured over 100 in Reyhanli, where thousands of Syrian refugees took shelter.

Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler confirmed the arrest, saying one of the nine suspects was the mastermind of the attack.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also said that those involved were thought to have staged another attack on the Syrian coastal town of Banias a week ago, in which at least 62 people were killed.

On Saturday, Atalay said an initial investigation shows that the deadly blast, one of the most serious bomb attacks in years in Turkey are linked to Syria's intelligence agency, according to Today's Zaman newspaper.

Syrian Information Minister Omran Zubi, however, on Sunday denied any Syrian involvement in the attack and rejected what he called "unfounded accusations."