Solved case · 2015
Sultanahmet Square (Hippodrome), IstanbulCredit: Maurice FlesierCC BY-SA 4.0SourceThe short answer
A suicide bomber linked to the Islamic State killed 13 foreign tourists and injured others in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district on 12 January 2016.
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Suggest coverage for January 2016 Istanbul bombingOn the morning of 12 January 2016, a suicide bomber detonated explosives in Sultanahmet Square, a historic area of Istanbul near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia that is popular with tourists. The blast occurred at approximately 10:20 a.m. local time near the Obelisk of Theodosius, as the bomber approached a tour group. Thirteen people were killed — twelve German tourists and one Peruvian national — and additional people were injured, including Germans, a Chinese national, a South Korean, and a Peruvian, according to news media reports.
Turkish authorities identified the attacker as Nabil Fadli, a Syrian national born in 1988 who was affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIL). According to the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry, Fadli was actually born in Saudi Arabia and left the country with his family at age eight, subsequently growing up in Manbij, a city in northern Syria then under ISIL control. His family is described as ethnically Turkman. Reports characterized Fadli as "a regular foot soldier" in ISIL, and stated that his brother had carried out a suicide bombing at an airport several months prior. Fadli entered Turkey on 5 January 2016 and had been registered and fingerprinted as a refugee; his name had not triggered any security alerts.
The attack followed a period of escalating violence in Turkey attributed to ISIL. This included a January 2015 suicide bombing at a Sultanahmet police station by a bomber later identified as having links to ISIL; a July 2015 suicide bombing in Suruç that killed 33 people; and an October 2015 double suicide bombing outside Ankara's main train station that killed more than 100 people, which Turkish prosecutors attributed to a local ISIL cell. In December 2015, Turkish police detained two suspected ISIL militants believed to be planning New Year's attacks in Ankara, prompting cancellation of public celebrations, and three additional men were arrested on 11 January 2016 while traveling toward Diyarbakir.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu confirmed the attacker's profile, stated he was not on Turkey's militant watch-list, and said he was believed to have recently crossed into Turkey from Syria. Davutoğlu convened a security meeting with the interior minister and pledged continued action against ISIL. Turkey's broadcast regulator imposed a temporary ban on images of the bombing, which was upheld by an Istanbul court.
The attack drew international condemnation, including statements from the European Commission, Germany, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, and the United States. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over the German casualties, and Germany's foreign ministry warned citizens in Istanbul to avoid crowds and tourist sites amid expectations of further attacks.
A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a police station in Sultanahmet Square; the bomber was later identified as having links to ISIL.
An ISIL suicide attack in Suruç, near Turkey's border with Syria, killed 33 people.
Two suicide bombers killed more than 100 people outside Ankara's main train station during a peace rally, in what was described as Turkey's deadliest attack; prosecutors attributed it to a local ISIL cell.
Turkish police detained two suspected ISIL militants believed to be planning New Year's attacks in Ankara; celebrations were cancelled.
Nabil Fadli entered Turkey and was registered and fingerprinted as a refugee.
Three men were arrested en route to Diyarbakir in connection to ISIL.
A suicide bomber detonated explosives in Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul, at approximately 10:20 a.m. local time, killing 13 people and injuring others.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Identified by Turkish authorities as Nabil Abdel Latif Fadli, the ISIL-affiliated Syrian suicide bomber who detonated his vest in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square on 12 January 2016, killing 13 people (mostly German tourists); he died in the blast, so no charge was ever brought — prosecution was prevented by his death.[3]
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SOLVEDListenSultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey · 2010s
On 6 January 2015, a pregnant woman detonated a suicide vest inside a police station in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district, killing herself and a police officer who later died of his injuries.
SOLVEDListenIstanbul, Turkey · 2000s
High school student Münevver Karabulut was murdered in Istanbul on 3 March 2009 by Cem Garipoğlu, who evaded arrest for 197 days amid intense public and political scrutiny before being convicted in 2011.
SOLVEDListenVezneciler, Istanbul, Turkey · 2010s
On 7 June 2016, a car bomb targeted a police bus in Istanbul's Vezneciler district, killing 12 people and injuring 51 others. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility three days later.
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On 16 June 2016, British Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death in Birstall, West Yorkshire, by Thomas Alexander Mair. He was convicted in November 2016 of murder and related offences, with the judge finding the killing was an act of terrorism motivated by white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideology. Mair received a whole life order.
