Links found between Ankara and Suruç ISIL attacks

Mesut Hasan Benli – ANKARA

After seizing the computer of the mastermind of the Oct. 10, 2015 Ankara bombing, investigating prosecutors have found that one of the blast’s main suspects and the suicide bomber of the Suruç attack, both carried out by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), were in regular contact with each other. 

Through the seized computer of Yunus Durmaz, who is also claimed to be ISIL’s “emir” responsible for the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep, investigators accessed photos of Halil İbrahim Durgun, one of the organizers of the Ankara attack, and Abdurrahman Alagöz, the suicide bomber of the Suruç attack that killed 34 people on July 20, 2015.  

Along with images, investigators also accessed Word documents giving details about the planning of both attacks. The evidence obtained by the constitutional crimes bureau of the Ankara chief public prosecutor’s office has been sent to the Şanlıurfa chief public prosecutor’s office with an order for further investigation.

According to the details gathered from Durmaz’s computer, the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), which was one of the groups that organized the Oct. 10 Ankara peace meeting hit by the attack, was also targeted in the Suruç attack. The document also elaborated on the connection between Durgun and Alagöz, saying the former hosted the latter in an ISIL cell home for one night.

Suruç marked the second attack staged by ISIL in Turkey. The attack targeted a municipal culture center in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa’s Suruç district, where members of the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) were staying as part of a summer expedition to help rebuild Kobane, which lies directly across the border.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu confirmed that ISIL was the prime suspect after the attack.

The Ankara attack, on the other hand, was the deadliest ISIL attack yet carried out in Turkey, killing 103 people. The attack occurred when two suicide bombers linked to ISIL targeted a large group of people marching for peace and democracy outside the capital’s main train station on Oct. 10, 2015.