Turkish police on Thursday arrested four suspected human traffickers operating around the Bodrum peninsula where the lifeless body of a three-year-old Syrian boy was found washed up on the beach on Wednesday, state news agency Anadolu reported.
Images of Aylan Kurdi's dead body lying face down on the beach circulated around the world on Wednesday, sparking outrage at the human cost of the surge of migration towards Europe as thousands of people flee conflict in countries like Syria.
A Syrian was among those arrested by Turkish police, Anadolu reported. The group may have been an intermediary in arranging the crossing that proved fatal for Aylan, his 5-year-old brother and his mother, who were all escaping the northern Syrian city of Kobane, where Kurdish fighters are clashing with Islamic State militants.
According to reports, the family were making a final, desperate attempt to reach Canada, even though their asylum application had been rejected.
Photos of the boy have appeared on newspaper front pages around Europe and have been widely circulated on social media.
European leaders have also spoken out on the tragedy, with British Prime Minister David Cameron saying he was "deeply moved".
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