Konya massacre: The assailant might have been acting on behalf of other people, says attorney

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The assailant who killed seven members of a Kurdish family in Meram, Konya on July 30 was remanded in custody yesterday (August 5).

Mehmet Altun, who was nabbed six days after the massacre in a cemetery where he was hiding, is charged with "premeditated killing with monstrous feelings," "damaging property by fire," "violation of dwelling immunity" and "possession of unlicensed weapons."

In his first statement at the security directorate, Altun said he had gone to the family's house to tell them to withdraw their complaint regarding the attack on them on May 12 but fired shots at the family members after they recognized him.

"In order not to leave a trace behind, I shot them again while they were lying on the floor and wanted to set the house on fire so that the security camera recording would be deleted," he told the police.

The attorney of the Dedeoğulları family, Abdurrahman Karabulut, reiterated that the assault was racially motivated. "The murderer says her mother was insulted 10 years ago. The Dedeoğulları family says they and Kurds were insulted. However, both sides later reached an agreement and withdrew their complaints.

"While there were occasional threats, there was no great tension until May 12. Then they threaten the family and ask them to leave the neighborhood. On May 12, they threw firecrackers at the yard of the Dedeoğulları family's house, after which the family members went out to the yard. As soon as they got out, they were attacked by a group of 60 people."

How did a dispute lead to a massacre?

About how a dispute that happened a decade ago led to a massacre, Karabulut said, "This is something we can't comprehend either. There was no dispute whatsoever before May 12, no interaction [between the families]."

After the incident on May 12, the attackers accused Barış Dedeoğlu of attacking them although the incident happened at the house of Dedeoğulları family, Karabulut said. "This is also mentioned in crime scene records.

Mehmet Altun's spouse had said that he "wasn't working but earning money," the attorney noted. "In fact, his spouse makes a confession. She is also surprised. Therefore, there are some people who supported this man.

"His weapon was worth at least 15-20 thousand lira. Where did he find the money to rent a car? His spouse says he also left money at home. So, some people were supporting him.

"The fourth child of the murderer will be born 15 days later, his spouse is eight and a half months pregnant. Why would a person married with children risk his life? This is against the natural flow of life. It means that he was offered something extraordinary.

"From the beginning, we have been saying that this assault was organized and there were other people behind it. For now, it's clear that there was an organization on a Whatsapp group."

"Reconciliation with a weapon"

About the assailant's statement that he had gone to the family's house to reconcile with them, Karabulut said, "He says he had a petition withdrawing the complaint. Currently, the file does not include the petition but includes the weapon.

"One wouldn't go with a weapon if he wanted to reconcile. He intended to make them sign the petition at gunpoint and set his mind on committing a massacre if they wouldn't sign the petition. Because they would get heavy sentences for the attack on May 12. It was not a simple injury case."

Racist motives

Karabulut further said that an effective investigation is being carried out thanks to public pressure.

About the motives of the attack, he said, "There is no such hostility in this massacre. My clients were the ones who were constantly harassed. And there is a single reason for that: racism. Explaining this with any other reason is to make fun of people's intelligence." Prosecutors investigating the incident previously stated that the attack was not racially motivated. (RT/VK)