Istanbul had already been subjected to three terrorist attacks in the first half of 2016, including suicide attacks in January and in March that were both linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and a car bombing in early June claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a "radical offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)".
Istanbul var allerede blevet udsat for tre terrorangreb i første halvdel af 2016, herunder selvmordsangreb i januar og i marts, der begge blev knyttet til Islamisk Stat (ISIS), og en bilbombe i begyndelsen af juni, hævdet forårsaget af Kurdistans Friheds Falke (TAK), en "radikal udløber af det forbudte Kurdistans arbejderparti (PKK)."