Istanbul court to retry ISIL suspects tied to 2016 airport terror attack

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court is set to retry suspects linked to the deadly ISIL terror attack at Atatürk Airport eight years ago, following the Court of Appeals’ annulment of their previous sentences, citing insufficient evidence linking the suspects directly to the assault.

The ISIL terrorist organization’s suicide bombers carried out the attack on June 28, 2016, at what was then Istanbul's principal hub for civilian flights, killing 45 people.

The main trial had concluded with seven individuals being sentenced to 46 aggravated life terms, alongside an additional 2,604 years for related charges.

However, the Court of Appeals has recently overturned these verdicts, asserting that while the suspects were indeed members of the ISIL terror organization, their direct involvement in the airport attack could not be substantiated with sufficient evidence.

The ruling of the top court has sparked widespread debate after a media report released on Dec. 18, with the authorities clarifying that the suspects were not found guilty of the attack.

The Court of Appeals argued that imposing such severe penalties for only membership in a terrorist organization without incontrovertible proof linking the suspects to the attack lacked judicial balance, pointing to “an error in judgment” by the Istanbul court.

Six of the seven defendants, having already served eight years in detention, were consequently released, as their incarceration period exceeded the maximum sentence typically handed down for terror group membership. Only one detainee, an Algerian national, remains in custody.

The retrial will be held at the Istanbul court once again, where the suspects are expected to face charges solely related to membership in a terrorist organization.