Turkish prosecutors have indicted 42 people, including 31 in pretrial detention, for their roles in a deadly attack by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on the Santa Maria Church in İstanbul on January 28.
The attack resulted in the death of Tuncer Cihan and injuries to several others, including the church’s pastor, Father Anton Bulai.
Following the attack, numerous ISIL suspects were arrested across the country. In February Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the arrest of Amirjon Kholiqov from Tajikistan and Russian national David Tanduev — alleged to be the ISIL members who carried out the attack on the church.
Charges against the 42 people include attempting to overturn the constitutional order, membership in an armed terrorist organization, premeditated murder, 11 counts of attempted premeditated murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Sentences sought by the prosecutor range from seven to 349 years.
Main suspects Tanduev and Kholiqov, along with Edelkhan Inazhaev and his wife Zharaidat Esmurzieva, face the most serious charges. Inazhaev also faces charges of forgery of official documents, adding between three and seven years to his potential sentence.
Twenty others face similar charges, with possible sentences up to 345 years, while 18 are charged solely with membership in an armed terrorist organization, facing from seven to 15 years in prison.
The indictment has been submitted to an İstanbul court for review. The January 28 attack led to an extensive investigation into ISIL activities in Turkey.
In a related development, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Friday that 45 ISIL suspects were detained across 16 provinces, with substantial amounts of cash and digital materials seized.
The church attack is one of a series of ISIL attacks in Turkey, including a 2017 nightclub massacre in İstanbul that left 39 people dead. ISIL said this latest attack was in response to their leader’s call to kill Jews and Christians.
Various bombings and attacks by ISIL have killed 315 people and injured hundreds in Turkey since the group was declared a terrorist organization in 2013.