Bomb attack perpetrator recants previous statements

ISTANBUL

Ahlam Albashir, the perpetrator of the deadly bomb attack that claimed the lives of six individuals and wounded several dozen on Istanbul's bustling Istiklal Avenue last November, has asserted that she received the bomb in Türkiye, contradicting her previous admission of bringing it from Syria.

In a statement lasting over an hour, the Syrian national refuted her initial statements to the police during her second hearing at the Istanbul Justice Palace on July 17.

"We jumped over the border wall and crossed into Türkiye. The bomb was not with us. I said earlier that we brought the bomb from Syria. However, that didn't happen. Bilal [Hassan] took delivery of the bomb in Istanbul," she explained, referring to the man she had posed as a couple with, as part of their plan to remain inconspicuous in Türkiye.

The indictment against Albashir seeks a sentence of seven times aggravated life imprisonment, ranging from 1,949 years and six months to 3,009 years. A total of 26 defendants, out of the 36 charged individuals, were present at the second hearing, with some participating via the audio and video information system (SEGBİS) from prison.

Albashir alleged that her intention to escape was detected during the planning process, stating, "I was documenting everything that occurred on my phones. But they broke my phone. They sensed that I was planning to flee."

She also claimed that she was sitting on the avenue on the day of the incident when she discovered the bomb in her bag and that she attempted to alert police but was unable to communicate due to a lack of proficiency in Turkish.

In the court's interim decision, the arrest warrants for the fugitive suspects were upheld, while the detained defendants' hearing was adjourned until Sept. 25.

During previous interrogations, Albashir had disclosed that she received training as a "special intelligence officer" from the PKK/YPG and received orders for the attack from another PKK/YPG terrorist codenamed Hacı.

In the aftermath of the incident, Turkish authorities apprehended numerous individuals linked to Albashir and the PKK. Subsequently, the Turkish military launched a massive air campaign against PKK targets in northern Iraq and northern Syria.