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Reuters, UK
Jan 30 2007
Turk police warned of editor murder plot -press
Tue 30 Jan 2007 5:56 AM ET
ISTANBUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Turkish police were warned a year ago
about a plot to kill Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, media
reported on Tuesday, the latest suggestion authorities may have
failed to act to stop the killing.
The report, carried by several newspapers, comes after the government
dismissed the governor and police chief in the Black Sea province of
Trabzon, where the main suspects come from.
The government has sent two inspectors to Trabzon on the northern
coast to investigate whether police and civilian authorities were at
fault.
"There has been a tip-off that a man called Yasin Hayal, who lives in
Trabzon, has said he will come to Istanbul and kill Hrant Dink,"
Turkish daily Sabah quoted a letter sent from Trabzon to Ankara's
police intelligence headquarters.
A national police spokesman could not confirm the report.
"I can't say whether it is true or false. We are waiting for the
report from two investigators sent to Trabzon. They are in full
charge of this investigation," spokesman Ismail Caliskan told
Reuters.
Sabah and and another newspaper, Milliyet, said one of the suspects
charged in connection with the murder was an informer who had told
police another suspect was planning to murder the high-profile
journalist.
Hayal has admitted to inciting the murderer, 17 year-old Ogun Samast.
Trabzon police passed on the warning to Ankara's police intelligence
headquarters and Istanbul police in February 2006.
That was the same month an Italian Catholic priest was killed in
Trabzon, which Turkish media said was carried out by a youth
influenced by Islamist and ultra-nationalist ideas.
Since Dink's murder the government has been criticised for failing to
deal with extremist groups.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Tuesday that
Turkey had paid a heavy price for not cracking down on what he called
the deep state -- a term which refers to secretive nationalist
elements in the powerful Turkish army and bureaucracy.
Local media linked Erdogan's comments to the Dink investigation.
(Additional reporting by Selcuk Gokoluk)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Jan 30 2007
Turk police warned of editor murder plot -press
Tue 30 Jan 2007 5:56 AM ET
ISTANBUL, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Turkish police were warned a year ago
about a plot to kill Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, media
reported on Tuesday, the latest suggestion authorities may have
failed to act to stop the killing.
The report, carried by several newspapers, comes after the government
dismissed the governor and police chief in the Black Sea province of
Trabzon, where the main suspects come from.
The government has sent two inspectors to Trabzon on the northern
coast to investigate whether police and civilian authorities were at
fault.
"There has been a tip-off that a man called Yasin Hayal, who lives in
Trabzon, has said he will come to Istanbul and kill Hrant Dink,"
Turkish daily Sabah quoted a letter sent from Trabzon to Ankara's
police intelligence headquarters.
A national police spokesman could not confirm the report.
"I can't say whether it is true or false. We are waiting for the
report from two investigators sent to Trabzon. They are in full
charge of this investigation," spokesman Ismail Caliskan told
Reuters.
Sabah and and another newspaper, Milliyet, said one of the suspects
charged in connection with the murder was an informer who had told
police another suspect was planning to murder the high-profile
journalist.
Hayal has admitted to inciting the murderer, 17 year-old Ogun Samast.
Trabzon police passed on the warning to Ankara's police intelligence
headquarters and Istanbul police in February 2006.
That was the same month an Italian Catholic priest was killed in
Trabzon, which Turkish media said was carried out by a youth
influenced by Islamist and ultra-nationalist ideas.
Since Dink's murder the government has been criticised for failing to
deal with extremist groups.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Tuesday that
Turkey had paid a heavy price for not cracking down on what he called
the deep state -- a term which refers to secretive nationalist
elements in the powerful Turkish army and bureaucracy.
Local media linked Erdogan's comments to the Dink investigation.
(Additional reporting by Selcuk Gokoluk)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress