The leader of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party has blamed a "mafia state" in the country over the death of more than 85 people in twin blasts in the capital, Ankara, that targeted pro-Kurdish members and activists.

According to Press TV, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) leader Selahattin Demirtas in Ankara on Saturday said: “We are faced with a huge massacre. A vicious, barbaric attack has been committed.”

Demirtas said: “We are faced with a murderous state which has turned into a mafia and a state mentality which acts like a serial killer.”

At least 86 people were killed and 126 wounded when twin explosions targeted activists who had convened outside Ankara's main train station for a peace rally organised by leftist and pro-Kurdish opposition groups.

Demirtas said the attack was a repeat of the bombing of an HDP rally in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir ahead of June 7 elections and a July 20 bombing blamed on Daesh Takfiris in the town of Suruc that killed scores of pro-Kurdish activists. The bombing of the HDP rally in Diyarbakir killed four people while the bomb attack in Suruc left 32 pro-Kurdish activists dead and hundred others wounded.

Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has called on its members to halt militant activities in Turkey unless they are threatened by an attack.

On Saturday, the Firat news agency, which is close to the PKK, cited the group’s head as saying that the militants had been ordered to stop activities inside Turkey following calls from both in and out of the country.

SS