Ankara court rules for continuation of arrest of suspects in deadly ISIL attack case

ANKARA

A court has ruled to continue the arrests of suspects in the case into the October 2015 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) bomb attack in the Turkish capital Ankara.

In the hearing into the Oct. 10, 2015 twin suicide bomb attack, which killed over 100 people and wounded dozens of others, the Ankara Fourth Heavy Penal Court ruled for the suspects to remain in jail.

During the hearing on Sept. 26, tensions rose in the courtroom when both the plaintiff and the suspects directed accusations against each other.

The court heard testimony from a number of the 36 suspects on Sept. 26, with one suspect saying he “wanted sharia law to be installed.” He also told one of the plaintiffs to “go to North Korea” because he is “a communist,” after the plaintiff told him to “go to Saudi Arabia” following his sharia comment.

Suspect Mehmedin Baraç said he “did not betray his country” and said he was against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“They are describing carcasses as ‘martyrs’ and soldiers as just ‘dead,’” Baraç told the court, prompting a sharp reaction in the courtroom.

One of the lawyers of the victims, Kazım Bayraktar, said they did not find it appropriate to call anyone “carcasses,” after which Baraç shouted: “All killed members of terrorist organizations are carcasses.”

The courtroom descended into chaos as some of the plaintiffs then threw water bottles at the suspects, after which the court board adjourned the trial and emptied the courtroom. It then ruled for the continuation of arrest of all suspects.

The next hearing of the case will be held on Nov. 22 and 23.