Turkish Council of State shooting
Encyclopedia
On 17 May 2006, a gunman named Alparslan Arslan
made his way into the Turkish Council of State
building and subsequently shot dead one judge and injured four others.
One of the wounded judges had been criticized for ruling against teachers wearing Muslim
head scarves.
Arslan's father, İdris, has made contradictory remarks on the matter. Initially he said his son was not religious and must have been coerced. One month later he defended his son's actions in the name of upholding the nation's values. Ergenekon prosecutors revealed that after the assassination, Arslan's mother and father had received 32,000 euros and $30,000, respectively.
An investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations
on stolen weaponry in Iraq revealed that the gun was of the same type used in shooting priest Andrea Santoro
(whose attacker had shouted the same words).
on conspiracy charges.
The case has been consolidated with that of the recent bombing of the newspaper Cumhuriyet
, also allegedly connected to Ergenekon.
On 13 February 2008, Alparslan Arslan and Osman Yıldırım were sentenced to life imprisonment
without parole
. The detailed ruling by Ankara's 11th High Criminal Court stated that no connection to Ergenekon was found. The conclusion took into consideration a 550-page file submitted by the Istanbul public prosecutor's office.
Alparslan Arslan
Alparslan Arslan is a Turkish criminal convicted for murdering Council of State member Mustafa Yücel Özbilgin, and wounding four others. He also took part in the bombing of the newspaper Cumhuriyet along with Osman Yıldırım, İsmail Sağır, and Erhan Timuroğlu. All of these events took place from...
made his way into the Turkish Council of State
Turkish Council of State
The Turkish Council of State is the highest administrative court in the Republic of Turkey and is based in Ankara. Its role and tasks are prescribed by the Constitution of Turkey within the articles on the supreme courts....
building and subsequently shot dead one judge and injured four others.
One of the wounded judges had been criticized for ruling against teachers wearing Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
head scarves.
Arslan's father, İdris, has made contradictory remarks on the matter. Initially he said his son was not religious and must have been coerced. One month later he defended his son's actions in the name of upholding the nation's values. Ergenekon prosecutors revealed that after the assassination, Arslan's mother and father had received 32,000 euros and $30,000, respectively.
An investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations
Air Force Office of Special Investigations
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations , is a Field Operating Agency of the United States Air Force that provides professional investigative services to commanders throughout the Air Force...
on stolen weaponry in Iraq revealed that the gun was of the same type used in shooting priest Andrea Santoro
Andrea Santoro
Father Andrea Santoro was a Roman Catholic priest in Turkey, murdered in the Santa Maria Church in Trabzon where he served as a member of the Catholic Church's Fidei donum missionary program.On 5 September 2006 he was shot dead from behind while kneeling in prayer in the church...
(whose attacker had shouted the same words).
Ergenekon
There are allegations that the attack was orchestrated by retired gendarmerie general Veli Küçük, who was detained in the Ergenekon investigationErgenekon network
Ergenekon is the name given to an alleged clandestine, Kemalist ultra-nationalist organization in Turkey with possible ties to members of the country's military and security forces...
on conspiracy charges.
The case has been consolidated with that of the recent bombing of the newspaper Cumhuriyet
Cumhuriyet
Cumhuriyet is a centre-left Turkish daily newspaper, founded on May 7, 1924 by journalist Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu. Based in Istanbul, it has been situated since October 17, 2005 in Mecidiyeköy. Cumhuriyet was the last newspaper to leave the old press district Cağaloğlu...
, also allegedly connected to Ergenekon.
On 13 February 2008, Alparslan Arslan and Osman Yıldırım were sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
without parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
. The detailed ruling by Ankara's 11th High Criminal Court stated that no connection to Ergenekon was found. The conclusion took into consideration a 550-page file submitted by the Istanbul public prosecutor's office.