90 suspects detained after attack on Istanbul courthouse
ISTANBUL
The police apprehended 90 individuals believed to have links to an attempted terrorist attack on an Istanbul courthouse, resulting in the death of a woman, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced.
A man and woman attacked a security checkpoint at the Cağlayan courthouse in Istanbul and then were killed in an exchange of fire, with the attackers identified as members of the DHKP-C, a far-left group considered a terrorist organization in Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.
A woman injured during the incident later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
Responding to the allegations regarding explosive devices found in the bag of the killed terrorists, Yerlikaya stated that the police did not report such a situation to his ministry.
From June 1, 2023, to Feb. 6, the security forces have conducted 335 operations against left-wing terrorist organizations, he said. These operations resulted in the detention of 269 DHKP-C members, with 30 of them being arrested, 137 placed under judicial control and six “neutralized,” Yerlikaya added. Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.
Conducting an on-site examination at the courthouse, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç explained that the assailants initially attempted to enter the courthouse through another door but then redirected to the incident location after encountering security hurdles.
Tunç revealed that two terrorists were killed in the confrontation with the police, and three police officers and five others were injured.
The minister disclosed that one of the killed terrorists was previously sentenced to 15 years for armed terrorist group membership in 2004, released after serving the sentence. The other terrorist is currently undergoing the trial process for membership in a terrorist organization.
Referring to a previous terrorist attack by DHKP-C at the same courthouse in 2015, resulting in the death of prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, Tunç suggested that the recent attack might have had similar intentions.
Meanwhile, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi condemned the terrorist attack in a message.
"I strongly condemn today's terrorist outside the Çağlayan courthouse in Istanbul. The European Union stands with Türkiye in its fight against terrorism,” he wrote.
