Two arrested in connection with killing of journalist Güngör Arslan

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Two of the four people who were referred to the courthouse in connection with the killing of journalist Güngör Arslan have been detained.

Ramazan Ö., who was caught with the weapon used in the killing, and Burhan P., who was later detained on the suspicion that he had connections with the incident, have been detained by a judgeship in Kocaeli, northwestern Turkey.

Two other detainees were released upon judicial control measures.

What happened?

Güngör Arslan, the owner and managing editor of Kocaeli Ses, a local newspaper in Kocaeli, was targeted in an armed attack on February 19 in his office in the Cedit Neighborhood in the İzmit district.

He was taken to Kocaeli State Hospital but could not be saved despite all efforts. Police nabbed a suspect who escaped the scene of the incident. Later, three other people were arrested.

In his latest article on February 18, Arslan criticized Kocaeli Metropolitan Mayor Tahir Büyükakın, whom he accused of contracting out a 502-unit housing project in Kartepe to the Haldız construction company, which is owned by a close friend of him.

"Desperate to save Haldız from the economic crisis it fell into, the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality contracted out the Kent Konut [project] to Haldız İnşaat. Tahir Büyükakın has to answer these allegations," he wrote.

Blackmailing allegations

On March 21, 2021, Arslan and Ümit Rende, owner of the Gündem Kocaeli newspaper, were detained on charges of threatening and blackmailing and later remanded in custody. Spending 188 days on remand, Arslan was released after the first hearing at the Kocaeli 12th Penal Court of First Instance.

Arslan had been detained on similar charges previously.

Bizim Kocaeli, a newspaper owned by Arslan, was closed down after the July 2016 coup attempt. He was detained in an investigation into the "Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)," which is held responsible for the coup attempt. He was later acquitted but his newspaper and assets were seized. (TP/VK)