World News | Trial over Deadly Istanbul Bombing Begins in Turkiye
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The trial of 36 people accused over a deadly bombing in central Istanbul last November began on Tuesday, Turkiye's state-run news agency reported.
Istanbul, May 9 (AP) The trial of 36 people accused over a deadly bombing in central Istanbul last November began on Tuesday, Turkiye's state-run news agency reported.
On November 13, 2022 an explosion tore through Istanbul's popular Istiklal Avenue – a busy thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants – killing six people, including two children, and injuring 99 others.
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Fifteen of the defendants, including the alleged bomber Ahlam Albashir, were in court for the start of the trial. Another 12 defendants participated via video link from prison. The whereabouts of the remaining nine are unclear.
Albashir faces a number of charges related to terrorism. If convicted, she faces up to seven life sentences and an additional 1,900 to 3,000 years in prison. Because the indictment was not read to her in her native Arabic, the presiding judge allowed her to postpone her defense until the next hearing.
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According to indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's office, Albashir and a man named as Bilal el-Hacmaus were intelligence operatives of the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia group, and its political branch, the PYD.
Turkiye regards the YPG as the Syrian arm of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency within Turkiye. According to the indictment, the two suspects were given special training by the YPG/PYD and sent to Turkiye along with explosives, where they travelled to Istanbul with the help of a network established by the organisation.
El-Hacmaus managed to flee the country. Arrest warrants have also been issued for several PKK and YPG leaders with regards to the case, including PKK leader Cemil Bayik. It is not known whether he is in Turkiye, Syria or Iraq. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)