12 arrested in Istanbul municipalities over terrorism links, including former Sariyer mayor
34 suspects, including former employees of Atasehir, Maltepe, Sariyer, and Sisli municipalities, detained for allegedly financing the terrorist organization DHKP/C, are referred to courthouse in Istanbul, Türkiye, March 14, 2025. (AA Photo)
A total of 34 suspects have been detained in an investigation regarding the financing of the terrorist organization DHKP/C through municipalities. Among those arrested, 12 individuals, including former Sariyer Mayor Sukru Genc, Melih Morsumbul, Kalender Ozdemir, and Haydar Battal, have been charged with “financing a terrorist organization” and ordered to remain in custody.
The operation was conducted by the Istanbul Police Department’s Counter-Terrorism Unit, under the direction of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office’s Terrorism Crimes Investigation Bureau. The investigation is ongoing, and 34 of suspects are currently being processed by the on-duty magistrate court.
The court has ordered the detention of several individuals, including Sukru Genc, Ismail Erdem, Melih Morsumbul, Mahmut Serdar Kizilay, Kalender Ozdemir, Sinan Cetiz, Haydar Battal, Yunus Bolukoc, Ahmet Serdar Demirtas, Dursun Ceylan, Kaya Emir Donmez, and Ihsan Bulut, for their involvement in financing a terrorist organization.
Meanwhile, suspects Ismail Yalniz, Muhittin Yetimler, Necati Demirci, and Hatice Yazlik have been released under judicial control, while the remaining suspects are undergoing legal proceedings.
This operation, carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, targeted DHKP/C’s financing methods via municipal tenders in Istanbul’s Sariyer and Sisli districts between 2014 and 2016. Authorities Tuesday raided 34 locations and apprehended 32 individuals, including municipal workers, connected to the DHKP/C network.
The municipalities involved are governed by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
DHKP-C: A Marxist-Leninist communist terror group
The DHKP-C, a Marxist-Leninist communist terrorist organization, was founded in 1978 in Türkiye as the Revolutionary Left (Devrimci Sol or Dev Sol). It has been engaged in militant activities against the Turkish government since the 1980s and was renamed DHKP-C in 1994 after internal factional disputes.
The group is recognized as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Japan. Its violent activities began in the 1980s, targeting Turkish politicians, military, and security personnel, and later expanded to foreign entities, especially U.S. military and diplomatic personnel.
