Operation Related to Zirve Publishing Murders

20 people were taken into police custody as the result of an operation carried out in nine different provinces. Ergenekon Prosecutor Zekeriya Öz gave the directive for the operation that was related to the massacre at the Zirve Publishing Company in Malatya in south-eastern Turkey.

On 18 April 2007, Necati Aydın, Uğur Yüksel and German national Tilman Ekkehart Geske were killed at the Zirve Publishing House. The three victims had allegedly been involved into missionary activities.

Various places in nine provinces were searched as part of the operation that was carried out in Malatya, Siirt (south-east), Muğla (south-west), Izmir or Ankara to name just a few.

Search related to murders at Zirve Publishing

The Doğan News Agency (DHA) reported that 20 people were taken into police custody in the context of the raid. Former Malatya Gendarmerie Regiment Commander ret. Colonel Mehmet Dülger and Ruhi Babat, member of the teaching staff at the Inönü University, are among the people taken into custody, it was said.

The suspects in custody are supposed to be the instigators and the ones responsible for the planning of the murders at Zirve Publishing.

Some of them are alleged to have connections to Sevgi Erenerol, detained defendant of the Ergenekon trial; a case on a plot to overthrow the Justice and Development Party government.

Five young people are being tried in relation to the massacre at the Zirve Publishing Company before the Malatya 3^rd High Criminal Court. All suspects of the case are in detention. (EKN/EÖ/VK)