9 sentenced to life over 2015 Turkish peace rally bombing

A Turkish court jailed nine defendants for life for twin bombings in the capital Ankara in 2015 that killed more than 100 people
Friday, 03 August 2018 21:59

A Turkish court has sentenced nine Islamic State suspects to life in prison over their involvement in one of Turkey's deadliest terror attacks.

On Oct. 10, 2015, two suicide bombers believed to belong to a Turkish cell of the Islamic State group targeted a peace rally outside the capital's main train station, killing 102 people.

The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the court convicted nine people Friday of charges of violating the constitutional order, murder and attempted murder for their involvement in the Ankara attack.

A total 36 suspected Islamic State supporters were charged, some of them in absentia, with murder, membership of a terrorist organisation, and seeking to change the constitutional order.

Families of the victims insist the attack was not thoroughly investigated and say officials who may be responsible for negligence have not been held to account.

Testimony at the trial, which opened in 2016, highlighted the responsibility of the Turkish AKP government, flaws in border security and intelligence which lawyers say allowed parts of Turkey to become a rear base for jihadists.