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Turkey seeks multiple life sentences for 2013 bombing suspect

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AFP Ankara
Last Updated : Nov 26 2018 | 6:05 PM IST

Turkish prosecutors on Monday demanded multiple life sentences for the prime suspect in a 2013 bombing blamed on Syria which left more than 50 people dead, state media reported.

Turkish citizen Yusuf Nazik was caught in September in the Syrian city of Latakia and brought back to Turkey in an operation by the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT).

Nazik is accused of planning the May 2013 Reyhanli bombing which left over 50 people dead in one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey's modern history.

At the start of the trial in Ankara attended by Nazik, the public prosecutor sought 53 aggravated life sentences, state news agency Anadolu said.

Such sentences have replaced the death penalty in Turkey and carry harsher conditions than normal life sentences.

Nazik is charged with "destroying the state's unity and integrity" and "intentionally killing" 52 people, including five children, Anadolu said.

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The agency also reported that the prosecutor demanded different sentences for "attempting to kill," since 130 people were injured in the attack, for having "explosive material without permission" and "damaging goods".

Ankara at the time blamed the attack on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and allied groups but Damascus rejected the claims.

Turkey has repeatedly called for Assad's ousting during the civil war.

Nazik was captured in Latakia, a stronghold of support for Assad that has never slipped from his control.

At the time of his capture, Anadolu shared a video of Nazik giving what it described as a "confession", saying he was behind the attack and it had been ordered by Damascus.

The next hearing in Nazik's trial will be on February 14, 2019.

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First Published: Nov 26 2018 | 6:05 PM IST

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