Record prison sentence requested for children who made bomb threats to airports

Five children living in İzmir, Kars, Sakarya, Diyarbakır, and Antalya seized the mobile phone lines of two girls they met on digital platforms on the internet and made fake bomb threats to airports in Adana and Gaziantep. The incident occurred last year, and it was stated that the children were between the ages of 14 and 17.

According to the allegations, the defendants communicated with the victims via the social media application Discord. The suspects, who made requests to two 15-year-old girls residing in Silivri, Istanbul, sent threatening messages after their demands were rejected. It was learned that they targeted the victims and their families in these messages to create an atmosphere of fear and panic. When their demands were still not met, the suspects obtained the necessary verification code for an internet-based calling application from the girls.

According to the information obtained, the suspects called Adana and Gaziantep airports on July 26 and 28 using the phone numbers they had acquired and made bomb threats. Following these alarms, two passenger planes were evacuated for security reasons, and it was later understood that the reports were false.

An investigation was launched following the incident, and the police identified the phones from which the calls were made. In their statements, the victimized girls stated that they had been threatened by people they had previously met on social media.

Upon the complaint, the five children in İzmir, Kars, Sakarya, Diyarbakır, and Antalya were detained, and digital examinations revealed that the suspects had threatened the victims to obtain verification codes and used these codes for fake reports. Furthermore, digital recordings of the moments the reports were made were also seized. It was determined that they tried to deceive authorities using voice-changing software and shared these recordings with each other.

Detailed examinations of the digital materials revealed that the children in question had accessed data panels through illegal means and obtained citizens' personal information and credit card data. Evidence was also found indicating that they had made other fake reports.

Once it was determined that the investigation originated in İzmir, the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office intervened. While the children identified as M.E.İ (17), A.K.Ş (17), E.A.K (14), İ.B (15), and M.A.Ö (17) were detained, one of the suspects, A.K.Ş, was arrested, and the others were released under judicial control conditions.

In the prepared indictment, separate sentences were requested for the defendants on charges of "importing, reproducing, selling, transporting, or exporting obscene publications," "threats to create fear and panic," "unlawful seizure of personal data," "attempted threat with more than one person," "obstructing air transport," "deprivation of liberty," and "fabricating a crime."

The prosecution requested prison sentences for each of the defendants ranging from 17 to 45 years. The case has been accepted by the İzmir 2nd Juvenile Court.