A Turkish court ordered Friday the continued detention of two brothers accused of carrying out attacks on Turkish military bases and convoys in Syria as their retrial resumed in the southern province of Adana.
Ahmet Baykara and his older brother, Yusuf Baykara, appeared via video link from prison before the Adana 2nd High Criminal Court. Several complainants and lawyers attended the hearing in person.
A Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) member, identified by the initials T.T., testified that he was injured in a vehicle bombing while serving in Syria in 2018.
"We were preparing to return to Türkiye when a vehicle passed us. Five or six minutes later, a vehicle loaded with explosives detonated," he said, adding that a fellow soldier was killed.
Both defendants denied involvement in terrorism, claiming they had traveled to Syria to conduct humanitarian activities.
"I am not a terrorist. I did not carry out any attack," Ahmet Baykara told the court, requesting his release and acquittal.
The prosecutor requested that both suspects remain in custody pending further proceedings. The court upheld their detention and adjourned the hearing.
Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) captured Ahmet Baykara in an African country on Oct. 15, 2024, following intelligence linking him to attacks on Turkish military positions in Syria's Idlib province.
His brother was subsequently detained in Adana.
The two were convicted in October 2025 and sentenced to life imprisonment for undermining state unity and territorial integrity, along with 11 years and eight months each for attempted murder of a public official.
The brothers remain in custody as proceedings continue.
Turkish authorities have been carrying out extensive counterterrorism operations at home and abroad to capture terrorists.
