1994 Bombing

Tuzla station was the site of a terrorist attack on 12 December 1994. On the morning of 12 December at 9:12 AM, a time bomb placed in a trash can detonated, killing 5 people and injuring 29. The 5 people who died in the explosion were all cadets from the nearby Tuzla Infantry Academy, who were on their weekly leave. İsmail Kaya, Ekrem Okutan and Murat Tuncer died in the explosion, while the remaining two cadets were rushed to the hospital. Osman Bozdağoğlu and Cüneyt Bilen were pronounced dead at Kartal hospital a few hours later.^[3] The two perpetrators, Cumali Karsu and Enver Özek, were a part of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). They were captured shortly after the attack, along with Hediye Aybek and Şerif Mercan who were suspected of assisting Karsu and Özek. The court case, lasting until early 2000, found three of the four suspects guilty; Karsu and Özek were sentenced to death, while Aybek was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison. Şerif Mercan however, committed suicide on 15 June 1994, before the court found a verdict.^[4][5]