New prosecutor releases suspect aiding gunman flee in Sinan Ateş murder case

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The court released one suspect charged with helping the gunman flee Ankara in the Sinan Ateş murder case following the request of a newly appointed prosecutor.

Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office appointed a second prosecutor in the investigation of the murder of Sinan Ateş, the ex-chief of Grey Wolves. The case file was handed over to the new Chief Prosecutor Durdu Özer for coordination.

Özer took the statement of Tolgahan Demirbaş who has allegedly taken Eray Özyağcı, the "gunman" out of Ankara following the murder and sent him to the courthouse requesting his release with judicial control, Asuman Aranca from T24 reported. And the court released Demirtaş upon the request of the prosecutor, imposing "judicial control."

It was revealed that Demirbaş, who was an executive committee member of Grey Wolves previously, was nabbed in a house used by Olcay Kılavuz, Mersin MP of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) but released later with the decision of the prosecutor's office without being taken to the court.

13 persons remanded in custody, the "gunman" fugitive

A total of 13 people are remanded in custody at the moment in the Sinan Ateş murder case.

Among the thirteen are Vedat Balkaya, who was the person using the motorcycle carrying the gunman, and Ufuk Köktürk, who was included in the list of names for the İstanbul board of MHP but deleted later.

Again among those remanded in custody are two special operation force police officers who have allegedly brought the fugitive gunman Eray Özyağcı from İstanbul to Ankara in a transporter vehicle.

What happened?

Sinan Ateş, the ex-president of Grey Wolves, an ultranationalist group affiliated with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), was killed in Ankara on Friday (December 30).

Ateş and his friend Selman Bozkurt were leaving the apartment building where Ateş's office is when two men on motorcycles fired shots at them.

Ateş was seriously injured by a bullet to the head, while Bozkurt was wounded in the shoulder. Transported to a hospital, Ateş was pronounced dead after arrival.

Ateş became the leader of the Grey Wolves in 2019. In the period when İYİ (Good) Party was founded, Ateş came out in favor of MHP leadership and criticized those leaving MHP in order to join the İYİ Party.

On April 2, 2020, Ateş resigned from the presidency of the Grey Wolves, following the instruction of MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli according to reports, and started to work in the Hacettepe University History department as an academician.

Thousands attended the funeral in Bursa, Great Mosque on Saturday (December 31), including Bursa Mayor Alinur Aktaş, İYİ Party group deputy chairperson Müsavat Dervişoğlu, İYİ Party Bursa chairperson Selçuk Türkoğlu, and Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Refik Özen.

MHP did not express condolence, and no officials from the party attended the funeral.

Condemning the act of violence, Kılıçdaroğlu also slammed Devlet Bahçeli, leader of MHP, who kept silent on the killing. (AS/PE)