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January 2001 Istanbul bombing

On 3 January 2001, a suicide bomber affiliated with the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front detonated explosives inside a police station in Şişli, Istanbul, killing a police bodyguard and himself, and injuring seven others.

SOLVED2001

Şişli, Istanbul, Turkey

3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On 3 January 2001, at approximately 13:50 local time, a man later identified as Gültekin Koç, a member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), entered a police station in the Şişli district of Istanbul. Koç presented himself as a businessman to gain entry to the building and proceeded toward the office of Şişli District Chief Constable Selçuk Tanrıverdi.

Naci Canan Tuncer, who served as Tanrıverdi's bodyguard, became suspicious of the visitor and questioned him about his reason for wanting to see the district chief constable. Koç reportedly panicked in response to this questioning and detonated explosives he was carrying.

The blast killed both Tuncer and Koç. Seven other people were injured in the explosion, including three police officers and four civilians; two of the injured were described as being in critical condition.

The attack has been attributed to the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front, a Marxist-Leninist militant organization, based on Koç's stated membership.

Key facts

Victims
Naci Canan Tuncer
Date
2001
Location
Şişli, Istanbul, Turkey
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2001-01-03

    Gültekin Koç, a member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front, entered a police station in Şişli, Istanbul, and detonated explosives after being questioned by a bodyguard, killing himself and the bodyguard and injuring seven others.

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People

  • Gültekin Koç

    CHARGED

    Identified as the suicide bomber and member of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front who carried out the attack; died in the explosion. No formal charge or conviction record is documented in the available source, as the perpetrator died at the scene.

  • Naci Canan Tuncer

    VICTIM

    Bodyguard of the Şişli District Chief Constable; killed in the explosion after questioning the attacker.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Location map Istanbul

    archival location

    Location map Istanbul

    Credit: OpenStreetMap contributors, Dr. BlofeldOpenStreetMap contributors · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

Places

Şişli, Istanbul, Turkey

41.0600, 28.9878

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 3 January 2001, a suicide bomber affiliated with the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front detonated explosives inside a police station in Şişli, Istanbul, killing a police bodyguard and himself, and injuring seven others.
Where did the bombing happen?
Şişli, Istanbul, Turkey.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Türkiye

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICJanuary 2001 Istanbul bombingWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — bianet.orgbianet.org · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — hurriyet.com.trhurriyet.com.tr · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026

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