NOS News•today, 12:55
A Syrian woman has been sentenced to life in prison by a Turkish court for an attack in Istanbul. Six people were killed in the attack in a busy shopping street in November 2022. 81 people were also injured, including a number of tourists.
The Syrian woman has stated that she acted on behalf of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Turkey sees this group as an extension of the Kurdish PKK, banned by the country. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, Europe and the US.
The woman says she was trained by the YPG. Responsibility for the attack has never been claimed. Turkish police arrested a total of 46 suspects after the attack. A case is still pending against 35 of them.
The explosion can be seen on surveillance camera images:
Deaths and injuries in explosion in central Istanbul
A few days after the attack, Turkey carried out air strikes on locations in northern Syria and Iraq in retaliation. According to Turkey, shelters and ammunition depots of the PKK and the YPG were hit.
Unlike the PKK, the YPG is not on European and American lists of terrorist organizations, to the anger of Turkey. The YPG is an important ally of the United States in the fight against IS.
