Istanbul murder of dancer Aynur Kanbur revisited by prosecutors

In March 2016, 49‑year‑old dancer Aynur Kanbur was shot dead in Istanbul’s Şişli district. The case, initially classified as a faili meçhul homicide, remained unsolved for years.

The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office’s Faili Meçhul Crimes Investigation Unit has reopened the file, conducting a new search of suspect Bülent Gündüz’s residence. Officers recovered a long‑barreled firearm, a gas mask and other evidence, and examined metro‑card data that placed Gündüz on the Avcılar‑to‑Metrobüs route on the day of the killing.

Bülent Gündüz, along with Fazlı Kar and Serdar Kar, are being questioned. Gündüz has reportedly admitted to the shooting and said he threw the weapon into the sea after the crime. The investigation also references the victim’s past as a member of the 1990s Mezdeke dance trio, which had been mentioned in earlier inquiries.