The police have taken 16 people into custody who they believe are involved in the terrorist attack that occurred at the police post near Yapi Kredi Plaza in Istanbul’s Besiktas district. The investigation has unveiled terrifying new information about how the attackers organized their attack on the police post.
Expanding Investigation and Arrests
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the investigation into the incident on Comert Street in Levent Mahallesi is actively expanding. The General Directorate of Security (Police) has arrested a new suspect in Kocaeli district which brings the total number detained to 16 people.
The police are currently processing 14 suspects at their central headquarters. The two attackers who were identified as Onur Celik and Enes Celik sustained injuries during the conflict. They are receiving medical treatment under heavy guard and will be transferred to police custody immediately upon their discharge from the hospital.
Pre-Attack Reconnaissance and Suspect Profiles
The Ministry of Interior security camera footage investigation showed that the attackers made two scouting missions to their target location before they executed their attack. The attackers used a local parking area on the first day of their operation to perform their initial surveillance. The same group returned to the same parking area on the next day to complete their operational planning.
The investigators described the suspects’ method as highly strategic because they sold their scouting vehicle and acquired a different vehicle that they used for their actual attack. The Istanbul Governorate provided official statements which confirmed that three terrorists died during the gun battle with police officers on Buyukdere Street while two policemen received only minor injuries.
Mustafa Ciftci, the Turkish Interior Minister, provided additional information about the attackers who had entered the city from Izmit, a district located in Kocaeli Governorate. Ciftci explained that one of the attackers had established connections with a religious exploitation group while his brother, who also participated in the scheme, had a previous criminal history involving drug charges.
