Prosecutor, two militants killed in İstanbul courthouse hostage shootout

March 31, 2015, Tuesday/ 13:59:44/ TODAY'S ZAMAN / ISTANBUL

The prosecutor in the case of Berkin Elvan, a teenager killed after being hit by a tear gas canister fired by the police during the Gezi Park protests in the summer of 2013, and two gunmen who took him hostage were killed in a shootout.

Prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz was being held hostage in his office at the İstanbul Courthouse. The outlawed leftist group that took the prosecutor hostage -- the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) -- announced the hostage taking in a statement published on a website called Halkın Sesi, which included a photo of Kiraz with a gun pointed at his head.

The statement said the prosecutor would be “punished by death” if demands were not met by 3:36 p.m. -- three hours after he was first taken hostage.

By 8:30 p.m. local time, multiple gunshots and explosions were heard and smoke was visible from the floor where the prosecutor was held. Security forces were seen outside and an ambulance raced to a rear door, sirens blaring.

İstanbul police chief Selami Altınok told reporters on Tuesday night that six-hour negotiations yielded no results and that the special forces had to launch an operation after multiple gunshots were heard inside the room where the prosecutor was taken hostage.

The police chief said the gunshots from the room came while the authorities were in communication with the militants and they decided to move in. The prosecutor was seriously injured while the militants were killed in the shootout. He added that the prosecutor was taken to hospital. At around 11:00, hospital said they could not save the prosecutor.

As the clock ticked toward the midnight, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu confirmed the death of the prosecutor, extending his condolences to his family and friends. He said the authorities identified the terrorists and vowed to take whatever measures are necessary to step up the security. He hinted that screening of lawyers could be introduced to enhance the security in courthouses, recalling of a report that the gun was smuggled inside the court through a lawyer.

He warned that similar attacks could take place ahead of elections, describing the incident as an assault on the Turkish democracy and the nation. He thanked the security services for "effective" operation and extended gratitude to media outlets who complied with the media blackout. Davutoğlu vowed to investigate the incident in detail.

Gunmen's demands

In its statement the DHKP/C said that in return for the release of the prosecutor it wants the police officers “who murdered Berkin Elvan to confess to their crimes during a live broadcast” and be tried in “people's courts” as well as the charges dropped against everyone who has been prosecuted for participating in protests over Elvan's death.

The militants also asked for a delegation to maintain negotiations between the gunmen and authorities.

A couple of hours after the incident began the Prime Minister's Office issued a temporary ban on television broadcasts reporting or covering the hostage crisis, according to a statement released by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK). Turkish television stations cut live broadcasts as the deadline passed, some citing the reporting ban.

Television footage showed the courthouse building cordoned off by security forces while the sixth floor, where the prosecutor's office is located, was evacuated. Special forces units were dispatched to the courthouse.

Some Twitter accounts have written that gunshots were heard at the İstanbul Courthouse. State news agency Anadolu said two gunshots were fired inside the prosecutor's office after the security forces attempted to enter the room.

Anadolu said a "negotiation team" also arrived at the courthouse. Ümit Kocasakal, the head of the İstanbul Bar Association -- who was one of the names cited on the list of acceptable negotiators by the outlawed group -- was at the courthouse to conduct the negotiations. İstanbul police chief thanked Kocasakal for his efforts at the negotiations.

İstanbul Governor Vasip Şahin, Altınok and Mustafa Çalışkan, the deputy police director in charge of counter-terrorism, were at the scene of the incident as well.

İstanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor Orhan Kapıcı confirmed that the motive behind the hostage crisis is the investigation into the Berkin Elvan case.

“Elvan is our child and brother. This death upset all of us. As lawyers, we need to carry out this investigation efficiently and timely. We are doing our best on this issue,” Kapıcı said.

Berkin's father calls for release of prosecutor

A police officer shot a tear gas canister at Elvan's head on June 16, 2013 during the nationwide Gezi protests. After remaining comatose for nearly 10 months, Elvan died on March 11, 2014.

The teen's parents told the media that Elvan had gone out to buy bread when he was shot by the police. Elvan's death sparked public outrage and sporadic clashes broke out between protesters and the police after thousands of people poured onto the streets in more than 20 provinces across the country.

Speaking at a public rally on March 14, 2014, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed that Elvan was a member of a terrorist organization and that he had covered his face with a scarf. He justified the police's action, saying it was impossible for the police officer to know how old Elvan was.

In a brief video message on a widely-followed Twitter account, Berkin Elvan's father, Sami Elvan, appeared to call on the group not to harm the prosecutor.

"We want justice. We don't want anyone to shed even a drop of blood. We don't want other mothers to cry," Sami Elvan said.

Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Hüseyin Aygün said that he talked with Sami Elvan on the phone who said he had lost his son but doesn't want anyone to die.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met with current and former interior and justice ministers at the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) headquarters in Ankara to discuss the hostage crisis, officials in his office said.

Erdoğan, who was on a trip in Slovenia, talked with Davutoğlu on the phone and took information on the issue.

The United States, European Union and Turkey list the DHKP-C as a terrorist organization. It was behind a suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in 2013, and in 2001 two policemen and an Australian tourist died in a DHKP-C attack in central Istanbul.

Keywords: Berkin Elvan , prosecutor , DHKP/C , İstanbul Courthouse