Turkish court has released on Tuesday its detailed reasoning for convicting three defendants over the twin bombings in the southern border town of Reyhanlı that killed 53 people in 2013, describing the attack as an operation directed by intelligence elements linked to the Bashar Assad regime.
In its written ruling, Ankara's 9th High Criminal Court outlined the planning, financing and execution of the May 11, 2013, attack, one of the deadliest terrorist incidents in modern Turkish history.
The court said evidence presented during the trial showed that instructions for the attack were received directly from Syrian intelligence-linked operatives and were carried out with the involvement of members of the THKP-C/Acilciler militant group.
According to the ruling, the group expanded its activities near the Turkish border during the Syrian civil war and operated in coordination with pro-Assad militia groups in Syria's Latakia region. The court said the group later focused on planning attacks in Türkiye, particularly in Hatay province.
The decision identified three defendants, Memet Gezer, Temir Dükancı and Cengiz Sertel, as key participants in the procurement, transportation and financing of explosives used in the attack.
