Killing of former Grey Wolves leader: Suspected assailants arrested

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Three people were arrested yesterday evening (January 4) on suspicion of killing former Grey Wolves Leader and a professor of history, Sinan Ateş, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Two people on a motorcycle gunned down Ateş and his friend Selman Bozkurt while they were leaving a building in the Kızılırmak District in Ankara on December 30.

Ateş received a bullet in the head while Bozkurt was wounded in the shoulder. Ateş was pronounced dead after his arrival at a hospital.

The investigation carried out by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office led to the arrest of Vedat B. and Hakan S., who are suspected to be on the motorcycle, and a third suspect, Zekeriya A.

Eight people were previously detained in relation to the killing.

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.

Thousands attended the funeral in Bursa, Great Mosque on Saturday, including Bursa Mayor Alinur Aktaş, İYİ (Good) 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 the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who kept silent on the killing. (AS/WM/VK)