February 03, 2016•Update: February 03, 2016
ISTANBUL
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Almost all Turkish papers devoted their Wednesday headlines to the arrest of Ismail Akkol, who had been wanted in connection with the 1996 killing of Turkish industrialist Ozdemir Sabanci.
“Arrested after 20 years” declared Hurriyet’s headline while Haberturk reported police had been placed on high alert in anticipation of Akkol’s arrest under the headline “Rounded up in 10 hours”.
Sabanci -- a member of one of Turkey’s richest families -- was shot dead on the 25th floor of the Sabanci Holding building in Istanbul along with his secretary and another executive. Akkol, a suspected member of the far-left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, (DHKP-C) was arrested Tuesday in western Aydin province.
Also arrested was a female suspect, identified by Cumhuriyet as Fadik Adiyaman. Police seized hand grenades, a Kalashnikov firearm and ammunition, the paper added.
Vatan said Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) had alerted police departments nationwide about the pair’s arrival days ago.
Citing MIT documents, the newspaper reported he had been in Greece but was coming to Turkey “with the aim of organizing a suicide bombing and to assassinate a leading figure”.
All Wednesday’s papers covered the funerals of five Turkish soldiers martyred earlier this week in clashes with PKK terrorists in Sur, Diyarbakir province.
Thousands attended the funeral of Huseyin Serbetci in Hatay province, Yeni Safak reported, while in central Yozgat province funerals were held for Nusrat Atmaca and Bekir Simsek.
Sercan Bulak was buried in Ankara province and Recep Erdogan in Gumushane province.
The district of Sur has seen military curfews and a number of terror operations against the PKK.
“We will root out the terror,” the Star newspaper reported, quoting Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. “Our firm fight against terrorism will end in Turkey getting rid of terror,” he added in an address to civil society groups from southern Turkey.
“It is not only the security measures that will wipe out terror but also hearts, compassion, and fairness.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks on the humanitarian crisis in Syria received significant coverage, with Yeni Safak reporting him saying the crisis had become a global problem.
Erdogan said European countries that were “watching the incidents from outside yesterday are today deeply experiencing the refugee crisis inside”.
The president was speaking in Chile and also criticized Russian and Iranian attacks on civilians in Syria.
“They are killing together,” Aksam quoted Erdogan as saying as he criticized the world for its silence over the conflict.
