Suspects Deny ISIS Connection in Trial on Reina Attack on New Year’s Eve

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The second hearing in the trial regarding the armed assault in the entertainment venue, Reina, in Ortaköy, İstanbul, during new year celebrations on January 1, 2017 was held yesterday (December 12). 39 people lost their lives, 79 others were injured in the armed assault.

In total, 57 suspects are standing trial in the case, 51 of them are in detention pending trial including the suspect Abdulkadir Masharipov who carried out the gun attack. Four of the suspects in detention are women.

The trial is being held before İstanbul 27th Assize Court in Silivri Prison complex.

In yesterday's hearing, 51 suspects 41 of whom are in detention pending trial including the suspect Abdulkadir Masharipov as well as the plaintiffs appeared in the courtroom.

All of the suspects who testified yesterday denied being a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and having any relation to the armed attack on the new year's eve.

According to the indictment, Masharipov, his wife Zarina Nurullayeva and other three suspects are being charged with "attempting to abolish the constitutional order", "qualified and willful murder of 39 people", "attempt to willfully kill 79 people", "being a member of an armed terrorist organization", "purchasing and possessing guns and ammunition of high qualitative and quantitative importance" and face 40 aggravated lifetime imprisonment and from 1,555 to 2,397 years in prison.

Other 52 suspects are being charged with "attempting to abolish the constitutional order", "being a member of an armed terrorist organization" and face aggravated lifetime imprisonment and up to 15 years in prison.

Some headlined from the testimonies of the suspects are as follows:

Abuduhamıtı: "I stayed for 15 days in Syria"

First suspect to make his statement of defence was Abulıezi Abuduhamıtı. He was caught together with suspect Omer Asım who took the delivery of the gun sent in a package from Konya on a bus.

Abuduhamıtı said that he was "not a member of any terrorist organization" and added that he did not know what was in the package and that they were caught by police during the delivery.

Upon being asked by the Chief Judge Abdurrahman Orkun Dağ, whether he had been in Syria and took any armed training, Abuduhamıtı said that he had stayed for 15 days in Syria and noted that he had not taken any training.

Radown: "Ebu Cihad is not my code name"

Testifying following Abuduhamıtı, suspect Yasser Mohammed Salem Radown, denied that his code name was "Ebu Cihad" and also that he was a member of ISIS.

Stating that his actual occupation was to sell medical supplements, Radown said that he came to Turkey to go to the Syrian border since orthopedic materials were needed in the war zone.

Radown also noted that he was detained in Gaziantep province by police since he was a foreigner, and was acquitted after spending four months in prison. He was later kept at the foreigners' department in Kırklareli province and was sent to Tekirdağ province afterwards where he was released.

Regarding the accusations that he was caught with a notebook where names and phone numbers of ISIS members were written, Radawn confirmed that the notebook belonged to him but denied that the names mentioned in the indictment, were in the notebook.
The third hearing of the trial is being held today. (AS/DG)