Turkish court sentences 72 defendants to life in coup bridge trial

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court sentenced 72 defendants to life in prison on Thursday for their roles in clashes on a suspension bridge in Istanbul in which 34 people were killed during an attempted coup two years ago, according to state-run Anadolu agency.

More verdicts are expected to be issued for 71 other defendants in the case, which charged the defendants of deliberately killing civilians who heeded a call from President Tayyip Erdogan to challenge the coup plotters on a bridge across the Bosphorus Strait on the night of July 15, 2016.

(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by David Dolan)