Chief Prosecutor Disclaims AA: Howitzer News doesn’t Reflect Truth

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Chief Prosecutor Fehmi Tosun has contradicted the state-run Anadolu (Anatolian) News Agency’s (AA) report from yesterday informing that the explosion at Sabiha Gökçen Airport on December 23, 2015 had originated from howitzer bullets.

AA had based its news on Anadolu Chief Prosecution and reported that the attack had been carried out at around 2.15 a.m. and it has been confirmed that three of the bullets hitting the apron had dropped closely to each other and the other one had dropped separately from the other three.

“The investigation goes on”

Anadolu Chief Prosecution has contradicted the claims of howitzer in its statement signed by Chief Prosecutor Fehmi Tosun.

“The investigation still continues and has not resulted yet. In addition to the fact that the claims in the press and on the social media do not reflect the truth, there is neither any information in the investigation case file of our prosecution confirming the cause of the explosion as howitzer bullets or verifying the acquisition of bipods used for howitzer shootings nor any statement has been made by our prosecution to any press and media organs containing such information”.

Among the janitors, Canan Çelik Burgucu had been injured in her hand and Zehra Yamaç in her head. Yamaç had lost her life in Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital where she had been transported to.

Kurdistan Freedom Falcons had claimed responsibility

Following the news on the explosion in Sabiha Gökçen Airport, a group calling itself “Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK)” had claimed responsibility for the attack and had made the statement “this attack with Howitzers will also be the beginning of our new operational era”.

TAK had also claimed responsibility for the bomb attack on September 20, 2011 causing the death of three persons and the injury of other 34, as well as an explosion on June 22, 2010 near a military lodging building in Halkalı district of İstanbul while a shuttle transporting military staff was driving by and the bomb attack on June 8 in Küçükçekmece district of İstanbul causing injuries of 15 police officers. (HK/DG)

* Photograph: Berk Özkan - İstanbul /AA