Trial begins over IS attack on Istanbul airport

On June 28, 2016, three suspected IS militants armed with automatic weapons stormed Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul and detonated their suicide vests, killing 45 people and injuring 163 others. (Photo by marmaduk/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0)

ISTANBUL — The trial against dozens of suspects accused of involvement in last year’s deadly attack on Istanbul’s main international airport has begun.

Forty-six defendants, with alleged links to the Islamic State group, are on trial for murder, attempting to overthrow constitutional order and membership in a terror group, among other charges. The prosecutor has demanded life sentences.

On June 28, 2016, three suspected IS militants armed with automatic weapons stormed Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul and detonated their suicide vests, killing 45 people and injuring 163 others.

The suspects include 16 Russian nationals, along with Chechen, Algerian, Tunisian, Egyptian, Syrian and Turkish citizens, according to the official Anadolu news agency.

The trial is taking place on the outskirts of Istanbul. Four of the suspects have not yet been found, while the rest are behind bars.