Four suspects face charges 11 years after attack on Fenerbahçe team bus

After 11 years, a renewed investigation into the armed attack on the Fenerbahçe football team's bus has led to four suspects being brought before judicial authorities in Turkey. The incident, which occurred on April 4, 2015, saw shots fired at the team bus as it traveled to Trabzon Airport following a match.

The attack, which injured the bus driver Ufuk Kıran, initially led to a probe by the Sürmene Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Several individuals were considered suspects, but insufficient evidence led to a decision to halt prosecution in August 2020.

However, the establishment of the 'Department for the Investigation of Unsolved Crimes' under the Ministry of Justice in April 2026 prompted a re-examination of cold cases. The Fenerbahçe bus attack file was revisited, and a report was sent to the Trabzon Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. A restriction order was subsequently issued for the case by the Trabzon 2nd Magistrate's Court of Peace.

New analyses of cell tower data and communication records from three different GSM operators have provided crucial evidence. These analyses examined the movements of individuals who were in contact before the incident, lost communication during the attack, and re-established contact afterward. The data also included base station records requested from the Information Technologies and Communication Authority.

Crucially, new findings revealed that one suspect, Yusuf Ö., who had previously stated he was at home during the attack, had in fact received a signal from a base station used by Fenerbahçe players' phones at the time of the incident. Furthermore, individuals he was in contact with shortly before the attack were found to have received signals from a base station in the Of district, along the route the bus took from Rize. This new evidence led the Trabzon 1st Magistrate's Court of Peace to overturn the previous non-prosecution decision on July 17, 2026.