A suicide bomber carried out the attack which killed six people in a crowded shopping mall Turkey's capital on Tuesday, and the type of explosives used point to Kurdish separatists, Ankara's governor said on Wednesday.

"The examinations showed the body parts belong to Guven Akkus, a man born in Sivas [Turkey] in 1979," Kemal Onal told reporters after an emergency government meeting called following the attack, the worst in the capital in at least a decade.

A security source, who declined to be named, told Reuters all eyes were on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) - which is waging an armed struggle against the Turkish state for greater Kurdish rights - saying the bombing bore the hallmarks of the outlawed guerrilla movement.

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"It is understood the incident was caused by the explosion of a plastic [explosives]bomb on this person's body and the incident's style matches the methods of the separatist organization," the governor said.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been fighting for an ethnic homeland since 1984 and Ankara blames it for more than 30,000 deaths. It has carried out suicide bombings in the past.

Separately, Adana Governor Ilhan Atis told state-run Anatolian news agency that a would-be suicide bomber had been detained in the southern city while trying to escape in a car.

The woman had 11.3 kg of explosive, two hand bombs and a dozen detonators, he added.

"I congratulate our police and gendarmerie, they did not let the suicide bomber upset us," Atis said.

Ankara governor Onal said 91 people were wounded in Tuesday's attack, which came at a time of heightened political tension in the EU-aspirant country. Authorities had earlier put the number of wounded at 102. Several Pakistanis were injured.

Turkish media reported earlier that eight people had been detained in connection with the blast. The governor gave no details and police declined to comment.

Leading newspapers Hurriyet and Radikal said that the blast took place shortly before senior military commanders, including armed forces chief of General Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit were due to pass the area to go to a defence industry reception.

Turkey's lira currency fell on Wednesday, hit by worries over domestic instability after the bomb attack.

"We have seen a vicious, ruthless terror attack at Ankara's busiest time," Erdogan told reporters at the scene of the blast. He said steps would be taken after this attack but did not elaborate.

The extensive blast comes ahead of the busy summer tourism season and July general elections.

Shop windows were shattered, debris strewn across the street and police cordoned off the area as rescue workers carried injured people, many covered in blood, into ambulances.

"This is the most horrific scene I have ever seen. It gives me great grief," Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek said, adding the blast occurred at the entrance of the Anafartalar mall.

Also Wednesday, Adana Governor Ilhan Atis told state-run news agency Anatolian that a woman who was detained on Wednesday in the southern Turkish city of Adana had planned to carry out a suicide attack.

Atis said the woman was seized while trying to escape in a car. She had 12.3 kilogrammes of explosive, two hand bombs and 12 detonators in her bag, he said. Another man was also detained.

Rising tensions
The PKK, considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey, ended a unilateral ceasefire on May 18 and security experts had expected attacks to escalate as a result.

Turkey has repeatedly urged Iraq and the United States to crack down on an estimated 4,000 PKK rebels who use northern Iraq as a springboard to attack targets inside Turkey.

Last month, Buyukanit called for a military operation into northern Iraq to quash Turkish Kurdish rebels.

"Our security forces will do whatever necessary from A to Z against terror, there should be no doubt on this," Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told reporters when asked about possible cross-border operations.

Tuesday's explosion comes amid heightened political tension. Erdogan's Islamist-rooted government has called a national election ahead of schedule to resolve a conflict with the secularist elite over a recent presidential election.

The secular establishment, including the military, judges and opposition parties, derailed the government's plan to elect Gul as president, fearing he might weaken the official separation of religion and state.

Kurdish separatists, leftist militants and hardline Islamists have all launched bomb attacks in Turkey in the past.

In 2003, 30 people were killed and 146 wounded when suicide car bombs hit two synagogues in Istanbul. Five days later, 32 people were killed in similar attacks on the British consulate and HSBC bank in the city. The bombs were blamed on Al-Qaida.

Turkey's armed forces Chief of General Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit visited the bomb site. He said in comments broadcast on NTV, that he feared similar blasts could hit other large cities.

The explosion, believed to be one of the worst in the capital in years, comes amid heightened political tension in European Union-applicant Turkey.

Erdogan's ruling AK Party has called a national election ahead of schedule to resolve a conflict with the secularist elite over a recent presidential election.

The secular establishment, including the military, judges and opposition parties, derailed the government's plan to elect Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as president, fearing he might weaken the official separation of religion and state.

The PKK ended a unilateral cease-fire on May 18 and security experts had expected attacks to escalate as a result.

Senior PKK commander Murat Karayilan has blamed Turkish intelligence for recent explosions in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil and said similar blasts would occur in heart of Ankara.

"We must work together against terror in all countries of the world. We see the results of it in America, Britain, Spain, Italy and all places," Erdogan said.

The PKK has been fighting for an ethnic homeland in a campaign of bombings, kidnappings and armed attacks since 1984, and Ankara blames it for more than 30,000 deaths.

Kurdish separatists, leftist militants and hard-line Islamists have all launched bomb attack in Turkey in the past.

In 2003, 30 people were killed and 146 wounded when suicide car bombs hit two synagogues in Istanbul. Five days later, 32 people were killed in similar attacks on the British consulate and HSBC bank in the city. The bombs were blamed on Al-Qaida.

Kurdish rebels launched a series bomb attacks on tourist sites in Turkey last year, killing more than a dozen people.