The March 2016 Ankara bombing killed at least 37 people and injured 125. Of the 125 individuals who suffered injuries, 19 were seriously harmed. Several buildings were also damaged during the event, and a bus and many cars were reportedly completely destroyed.
The bombing took place on Atatürk Boulevard, near Güvenpark, at a point where several bus stops were located. A car laden with explosives was used for the attack, and the buses carrying civilians were targeted. The area was subsequently evacuated as a precaution against the possibility of further attacks.
Following the attack, Turkish authorities reportedly imposed media restrictions: journalists said some broadcast media were subject to a ban on covering aspects of the attack, and the Turkish broadcasting authority, RTÜK, issued a ban on covering aspects of the explosion. Analysts also said that access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter was "extremely slow or blocked after the explosion," as social media sites in Turkey were reportedly blocked with the justification that the sites contained graphic images of the explosion.
The daily Sözcü reported that the Ministry of the Interior identified the assailant as Seher Çağla Demir, a Kurdish militant studying at Balıkesir University. A few days later on 17 March 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility. The group had already claimed the previous Ankara bombing in February.
The attack came at a time when Turkey was facing multiple security threats. It was a member of the coalition fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. There was also an ongoing conflict in the country's southeast with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), following the collapse of a truce in July 2015. This attack was the third major attack in Ankara in six months, less than a month earlier on 17 February, another bombing had killed 30 in central Ankara. That attack was claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK).
On 27 February, Ankara Police conducted searches for a car bomb in the Kızılay area. There had been Turkish intelligence about 6 bomb-laden cars that were being prepared for an attack by the PKK and there was an active search at the time of the attack for these vehicles in eastern and southeastern Turkey.
The United States embassy in Ankara had warned its citizens about a possible attack in the city on 11 March. However, the warning had indicated the Bahçelievler area as the likely site of the attack, which is located at the same district as Kızılay where the attack took place. The Intelligence Department of the Turkish Armed Forces also reported in a document a "specific warning to a possible terror attack in Ankara, mentioning areas near the blast site of the explosion".
The area hit serves as a transport hub in the city, where a number of bus lines meet. A number of bus stops are present at the site, which is next to Güvenpark and next to the Kızılay Square, considered the heart of Ankara. It is one of the most crowded areas of Ankara with metro and Ankaray stations also having exits at the area. The Ministry of National Education, the Court of Cassation and the former Prime Ministry building are all close to the site of the bombing.
A car bomb was used for the attack. According to the state channel, TRT, the car hit a bus carrying 20 civilians. An eyewitness stated that while a bus, carrying 40 people, slowed down, the car exploded whilst going by it. The bomb was packed with nails and pellets to maximise the damage. The explosions could be heard from kilometers away and resulted in a shower of debris in an area extending for a few hundred meters.
A car laden with explosives was used for the attack and buses carrying civilians were targeted. On 17 March 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), that had also been responsible for the previous Ankara bombing in February, claimed responsibility for the attack. TAK also identified the bomber as Seher Çağla Demir. The TAK claimed that they targeted security forces and they apologized for civilian casualties but warned that further civilian casualties were inevitable. The location of the bombing was 10 to 20 metres from the closest police station. The correspondent of France24 in Turkey commented on TAK's statement by saying "morally that holds no water because there were scores of civilians at that bus terminus". TAK claims that it has split from the PKK, but it is controversial whether the groups are linked; many sources consider TAK to be affiliated to the PKK.
The reported casualties include:
Elif Gizem Akkaya (19): a first year computer engineering student at the University of Turkish Aeronautical Association in Ankara. Akkaya volunteered at Losev, a foundation for children with leukaemia, and TEMA, a foundation that works to protect natural habitats. In memoir of Akkaya, her friends launched the Elif Gizem Akkaya Science and Technology Project which visit high schools to teach students basic robotics and coding skills.
Ozan Can Akkus (20): a first year Electrical Engineering student at ODTU university. Akkus had recently lost a close friend (Ali Deniz Uzatmaz) in another bombing in Ankara the year prior.
Feyza Acisu (20): a fourth year student at Gazi University in the Foreign Languages Department of the Faculty of Education. Acisu died waiting for transport after attending a course.
Nevzat Alagoz (42): a father-of-two, and a police officer. Alagoz died trying to get home after being on duty at a Genclerbirligi-Galatasaray match.
Mehmet Alan (26): worked at Tabiat Tarihi Museum since 2015.
Elvin Bugra Arslan (20): born in Ankara, Arslan graduated from Gazi Çiftliği High School, and in 2004 started his bachelor's degree at Çankaya University studying International Commerce. Arslan developed an amateur interest in music in his high school years and played basketball in Fenerbahçe Sports Club Youth Team then football in Gençlerbirliği SC youth team. Arslan had an interest in philosophy, history and mythology.
Feyyaz Aydin (24): a student at Gazi University. Aydin died in hospital after the blast.