Assailant: ‘I enrolled in an English course, carried out reconnaissance’

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The assailant who attacked the İzmir Provincial Organization building of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and shot party worker Deniz Poyraz to death inside the building yesterday (June 17) gave his statement at the İzmir Provincial Security Directorate later in the day.

Having launched an armed attack on the HDP İzmir office in the second floor of a business center in the Şair Eşref Boulevard in Konak district at around 11 a.m. yesterday, detained assainant Onur Gencer has said in his statement that "his aim was to find a few people there, " adding that "if there had been others, he would have shot at them as well."

Following the crime scene investigation of the police officers, the deceased body of Deniz Poyraz has been reportedly taken to the morgue of the İzmir Forensic Medicine Institution.

CLICK - 'Perpetrator killed Deniz while plainclothes police officers were waiting at the door'

He went to Syria in early 2020

As reported by Alican Uludağ from Deutsche Welle (DW) Türkçe, Gencer has said that his father retired as a worker of Tekel, a tobacco and alcoholic beverage company, that his sister is still a student, he is not the member of a party or trade union and his mother has lost his life.

Gencer has indicated that they, as a family, live in Gaziemir district of İzmir. He has said that he is not married and has not done his military service. In the first months of 2020, he went to Syria/Manbij as a medical officer and worked there for some time, the assailant has stated further.

He has said, "I resigned as a medical officer in April 2021. But I might be seen out in the open because I don't go to work."

* Photo taken from Onur Gencer's social media

'I have made plans since my childhood'

In explaining why he carried out the attack, Gencer has given the following answer by referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK):

"Following the post of a police officer who committed suicide on June 16, 2021, I experienced some correspondence with insulting content with the PKK people. My deceased mother and sister were cursed. In response to this, I made the same remarks. Since childhood, I have made plans to kill PKK people. The incident happened in an improvised manner."

Talking about how he planned the attack, Gencer has stated that he learned the address of the HDP İzmir Provincial building in Google in January 2021. He has indicated that he enrolled in an English course called "Perfect İngilizce" for purposes of reconnaissance:

"I carried out some reconnaissance a few times. I applied to the Gaziemir District Security Directorate for a license to possess a firearm in May 2021, I have received a temporary license. I bought a Ruger Gun for 3 thousand 500 lira from a person named Mehmet in Kızlarağası.

"I put 10 bullets in the gun and carried out the incident today. I fired all 10 bullets inside the HDP provincial building, which is the scene of the incident. While I was leaving the scene of the incident by putting the gun that I used into the bag, I was caught and detained by police."

Statement by Chief Public Prosecutor's Office

The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has announced that an investigation has been launched into the incident:

"In the light of the instructions given to the law enforcement by our two public prosecutors and one deputy prosecutor within this context, a quick and effective investigation has been ensured.

"The suspect at the scene of the incident O.G. was caught at the scene together with the murder weapon. Instructions have been given for the post-mortem examination and autopsy of the deceased D.P. and the scene of the incident has been secured to collect the evidence there."

'SADAT' allegation by HDP MP Kaya

On the other side, in a statement about the attack and the assailant in İzmir, HDP İstanbul MP Hüda Kaya has made some allegations about Onur Gencer and argued that he received weapon training in Syria by the International Defense Consulting Construction Industry and Trade Inc. (SADAT), a military consulting firm based in Turkey.

Referring to the police presence in the streets where HDP's offices are located and the criminal record checks and video surveillance of the ones who enter and leave the buildings, Kaya has said: 

"...even though the people who enter and leave the buildings are controlled till their ID numbers, a person just walked away in a city like İzmir despite the police across the street, a murderer entered our building, massacred a fellow woman and tried to set our building on fire."

Kaya has added, "They would, once again, portray this [person] as a drunkard, a crazy person, someone out of his mind; but we have obtained the information of this person as a result of our inquiries."

The MP has added, "He went through weapon training in Syria by the SADAT, posed with the [hand] signals of the [ultranationalist] Idealists [or Grey Wolves], was trained for arms, posed with a gun in his hand, shared these on his profile and targeted the HDP people, Kurds, Alevis, opposition groups with inhumane insults and threatened them in the worst language possible; we have detected these posts and shared them."

Referring to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), HDP MP Hüda Kaya has said, "He is the epitome of the youth raised by the AKP."

SADAT has dismissed the allegations

In response to these allegations, the SADAT military consulting firm has released a statement titled "SADAT Defense cannot have relations with murderers." Extending its condolences to the aggrieved family of Deniz Poyraz, the SADAT has dismissed the allegations that it has been giving weapon training in Syria. The firm has said that "even though these allegations have been around for nearly 10 years, no proof or document has been presented during these 10 years."

"SADAT Defense has not given training to anyone paid / voluntary / armed / unarmed in Syria or anywhere else," the statement has read.

CLICK - Mob boss Peker's confessions put military contractor close to Erdoğan in spotlight again

Military consulting firm SADAT was established in 2012. There have been some allegations that it is the "paramilitary force of the AKP" and some news reports indicating that "SADAT is training the dissident groups in Syria." Most recently, it has come to the public agenda with the 8th video of Sedat Peker, who is accused of leading a criminal organization.

CLICK - Sedat Peker claims Erdoğan aides organize illicit oil trade, arms delivery to 'terror' groups in Syria

(AS/SD)