The trial of 36 defendants detained in connection with the attack by the PKK/YPG terrorist group on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street last November is set to begin Tuesday, according to reports by Anadolu Agency (AA) on Monday.
The first hearing of the trial of the defendants, including Syrian national A.A. who placed the explosive in the busy Istiklal Street on Nov. 13, 2022, is expected to commence in front of the 13th High Criminal Court in Istanbul.
An investigation revealed that a female Syrian national born in 1999 was ordered to carry out the attack by the senior cadres of the PKK/YPG in Syria’s Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.
According to the information compiled by Anadolu Agency from the case file, the perpetrator of the attack, A.A., on instructions given by the YPG's "senior officials," went to Idlib and infiltrated Türkiye, entering the country with the help of B.E. on July 27, 2022. The two were told to stay in a textile workshop run by F.H. and F.B. in Istanbul's Esenler district, where they resided for some time.
B.E., while working in the workshop, got in touch with the other suspect in the investigation A.H.H., who got in contact with A.A. and her de facto husband R.E. Moreover, according to the prosecutors, A.A. and the fugitive R.E. contacted the latter's son, A.E.
Investigation outcomes
The investigation and security camera footage at the time revealed that A.A. embarked on their first reconnaissance work in the area of the explosive that was detonated on Oct. 22, 2022, arriving at the scene with a pirate taxi driver identified as Y.K., organized by A.E. Both are said to have conducted another visit to the Taksim crime scene days before the attack.
Following the attack, the police teams examined 1,200 separate security cameras. On Nov. 14, 2022, the police conducted an operation at 21 addresses and detained 46 suspects.
A.A., captured on security camera footage arriving at the scene and fleeing, was found hiding in Istanbul’s Küçükçekmece district some 10 hours after the bombing that claimed six lives and left dozens injured. According to the investigation, A.A. confessed that she entered Türkiye illegally from the Syrian city of Afrin after receiving intelligence operative training from the YPG/PKK terrorist group.
Istanbul Police Department teams detained a total of 51 suspects in the first phase of the investigation after the terrorist attack. While two of these suspects were released, 49 of them were transferred to the Istanbul Justice Palace in Çağlayan after their procedures at the police station on Nov. 17.
Seventeen of the 49 suspects, including A.A., whose statements were taken by 29 appointed public prosecutors, were referred to the judge for their arrest on charges of being a "threat to maintaining the unity and integrity of the country," "deliberate killing," "deliberately attempting to kill" and "deliberately aiding murder."
Within the scope of the extended investigation by the prosecutor's office, the indictment was prepared for the 36 individuals found to be in connection with the explosion.
In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that the defendants A.A. and B.E. who were the special intelligence personnel of the terrorist organization YPG, were sent to Türkiye with explosive materials after being given special training and instructed by the organization. Additionally, a red notice was issued for B.E., who is believed to have fled Türkiye through northwestern Edirne.
According to the indictment, which includes 123 people as complainants, imprisonment of up to 3,009 years is sought for the prime suspect A.A.
