2016 Beşiktaş bombing

On the evening of 10 December 2016, two explosions struck Istanbul's Beşiktaş municipality, killing 48 people and injuring 166 others. Of those killed, 39 were police officers, 7 were civilians, and 2 were the perpetrators. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a militant group, claimed responsibility, asserting its members had killed more than 100 police officers — a figure far exceeding official counts.

The attacks occurred after a Süper Lig football match between Beşiktaş JK and Bursaspor had concluded at Vodafone Arena. The first explosion was a car bombing using an estimated 300–400 kg of explosives packed with iron pellets, detonated near a group of riot police as spectators were leaving the stadium. Approximately 45 seconds later, a second explosion — a suicide bombing — occurred at nearby Maçka Park. A person carrying a backpack was ordered to stop by police at the park's entrance but detonated explosives before being apprehended, killing four police officers and one civilian at the scene.

Named victims identified by Beşiktaş JK included Vefa Karakurdu, the club's head of security and a BJK congress member, and Tunç Uncu, an employee of the club's shop. Berkay Akbaş, a medical student visiting Istanbul, was also among the civilians killed while passing the stadium by car. Numerous police officers were also named among the dead.

In the aftermath, Turkish authorities imposed a temporary broadcast restriction limiting coverage to official information, and six prosecutors were assigned to investigate. Thirteen people were arrested in the hours following the attack, and major roads around Beşiktaş were closed. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed deaths in a statement the following day, stating the attack's aim was to maximize the death toll, and referenced multiple militant organizations without specifying the perpetrator at that time. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said early signs pointed to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); TAK, a group linked to the PKK, later claimed responsibility. By 12 December, 235 people were detained in a broader anti-terror operation, including 200 members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who were charged with terrorism-related offenses.

A day of national mourning was declared in Turkey following the attack, and the location — previously known as Free Hill (Beleştepe), an informal vantage point for watching matches — was renamed Martyrs' Hill (Şehitler Tepesi) by the Beşiktaş municipal council two days later, and is now commemorated as 10 December Martyrs Park. The attack drew condemnation from numerous foreign governments and international bodies, including the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, and UEFA.