The Sabiha Gökçen Airport bombing took place on 23 December 2015 in the
apron area of
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. The explosion, which occurred at approximately 02:05
local time, wounded two airport cleaners, one of whom later died after being taken to hospital. Flights from the terminal resumed as normal while
Binali Yıldırım
Binali Yıldırım (; born 20 December 1955) is a Turkish politician who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 27th and last prime minister of Turkey from 2016 to 2018 and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly from 2018 to 2019. He w ...
, the
Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication, claimed that there had been no security lapses at the airport. Witnesses initially claimed that they heard three successive blasts, though their cause was unknown and investigators refused to rule out terrorism as a motive. ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' claimed that the blast was most likely caused by a bomb.
The explosion occurred while the
Turkish military had been continuing its armed operations against
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...
(PKK) militants in the south-east of the country, causing unrest and tensions between
Kurdish citizens and the Turkish state ever since a
ceasefire and peace negotiations between the two sides broke down in July 2015.
On 27 December 2015, four days after the attack, the
Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility for the explosion, announcing that it was a result of a
mortar bombing in retaliation for the Turkish Army's continued military operations in Kurdish populated cities in the south-east. The TAK is an urban-based offshoot of the PKK.
The attacker was arrested on 28 October 2017 in Istanbul.
Explosion
The explosion was heard at approximately 02:05
EEST on 23 December 2015, though eyewitnesses claimed that they heard three successive blasts. Initial investigations did not show clear evidence of terrorism, though the
Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communication stated there were no weaknesses in the airport's security.
''The Daily Telegraph'' held an interview with an aviation expert in regards to the blast, who speculated that the explosion had been caused by a bomb. It was claimed in the interview that an interior mechanical fault within a plane would not cause a blast big enough to damage five other planes in the vicinity. The damage to the five planes was attributed to
shrapnel caused by a bombing.
Impact and casualties
Two cleaning workers on the site were wounded, with one of them, Zeyhra Yamaç, later dying from head injuries caused by the blast. The
Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communication,
Binali Yıldırım
Binali Yıldırım (; born 20 December 1955) is a Turkish politician who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 27th and last prime minister of Turkey from 2016 to 2018 and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly from 2018 to 2019. He w ...
, said that the explosion had damaged five planes, which were later taken to
hangars for repair. Flights out of the airport continued despite the explosion.
Perpetrators
On 27 December 2015, the
Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility for the explosion and declared that the blast had been due to a
mortar bomb. The TAK gave their motive to be the ongoing 'fascist' military operations by the
Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...
in mainly Kurdish-populated south-eastern cities, designed to combat PKK militants in the region.
The attacker was arrested on 28 October 2017 in Istanbul.
See also
*
2015 Ankara bombings
*
2015 Suruç bombing
*
2015 Diyarbakır rally bombings
*
2016 Istanbul Atatürk Airport attack
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabiha Gokcen Airport bombing
2015 in Istanbul
2010s crimes in Istanbul
Kurdish–Turkish conflict (2015–present)
Kurdistan Freedom Hawks attacks
Terrorist attacks on airports in Turkey
Building bombings in Istanbul
Terrorist incidents in Turkey in 2015
2015 murders in Turkey
December 2015 in Turkey
Murder in Istanbul
2015 building bombings
Aviation accidents and incidents in Turkey
Aviation accidents and incidents in 2015
Terrorist attacks attributed to Kurdish militant groups