17 May 2017•Update: 17 May 2017
By Muhammed Enes Can, Murat Kaya and Hanife Sevinc
ISTANBUL
An Istanbul court on Wednesday set Dec. 11 as the date to begin the trial of the main suspect in the Reina nightclub attack, according to a judicial source.
Fifty-six others linked to the attack will also stand trial.
The indictment centers on the deadly gun attack at the Istanbul nightclub which took place in the early hours of Jan. 1 and claimed 39 lives.
The trial will take place between Dec. 11-15 in the city's Silivri district, outside metropolitan Istanbul, for security reasons.
According to the indictment, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is seeking 40 aggravated life sentences for Abdulgadir Masharipov, who is accused of opening fire in the crowded Ortakoy club -- one for each victim, plus an additional sentence for the overall massacre.
If convicted, Masharipov could face 15 years in prison on charges of being a member of an armed terrorist group plus 2,370 years in total for injuring 79 people in the shooting spree.
Masharipov also faces charges of attempting to topple the constitutional order of Turkey and could receive an additional 12-year sentence for firearms offenses.
Wednesday's indictment also calls for the same sentences for Masharipov's wife Zarina Nurullayeva as well as alleged co-conspirators Ilyas Mamasaripov, Abdurrauf Sert and Ali Jameel Mohammed, who, according to prosecutors, were the masterminds behind the plot.
A total of 57 suspects are mentioned in the indictment. Fifty-one are in custody and six others were released, pending trial.
