The verdict deadline for criminal proceedings against four suspected accomplices in the 2016 İstanbul suicide bombing, perpetrated by the Islamic State terrorist group, has been postponed until January 24.
The trial of 26 Islamic State suspects resumed on Monday in the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court, after being delayed in November 2016.
Detained suspects maintained that they were not guilty, demanding immediate release and acquittal. Prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment for three suspects and 15 years in jail for another one. A fifth suspect was released in November 2017, while remaining 21 suspects are tried in absentia.
On January 12, 2016, a terrorist detonated an explosive device at a park full of holidaymakers in İstanbul's Sultanahmet historic district, a very popular tourist sight. The blast killed 13 people, including 12 German tourists, while injuring 16 others.
