By Christof Lehmann

On Tuesday two suspected members of Turkey’s People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) took prosecutor Mahmet Selim Kiraz hostage at the Istanbul Courthouse. The hostage-taking prompted the immediate question how the two suspected DHKP-C members succeeded in smuggling weapons into the highly secured building.

The two hostage takers stated that their action was tied to the death of Berkin Elvan. Elvan went into a coma after sustaining injuries during police crackdowns against the 2013 Gezi Park protests. He succumbed to his injuries in 2014.

Both hostage takers were killed at the spot when Turkish security forces stormed the courthouse in an apparent attempt to liberate prosecutor Mehmed Selim Kiraz. The prosecutor succumbed to head injuries after a one-hour-long attempt to save his life.

The hostage crisis occurred as Turkey’s ruling AKP government proposes new, additional restrictions on the right to protest.

Turkish mainstream media touted the hostage crisis as “leftists’ taking revenge for the death of Berkin Elvan”. During the 2013 Gezi Park protests the then PM, now President R. Tayyip Erdogan denounced the protesters as terrorists.

The hostage crisis also happened as Turkey’s left-wing Patriotic Party is gaining mass momentum. Among the party leadership is the retired former chief of Turkey’s military intelligence service General Hakki Pekin.

The former military intelligence chief is, arguably, among those Turkish members of civic society who are most well-informed about the cooperation between Turkey’s intelligence service MIT, NATO and NATO’s Gladio network in Turkey. Pekin has, at numerous occasions, noted that Turkey’s AKP government as well as the Gülen network cooperate closely with NATO’s Gladio network.

Ferit Ilsever writes in an article, published in Aydinlik Daily, that one ponders why the DHKP-C would have gotten involved in the hostage situation.

Ilsever also stresses the known ties between the DHKP-C, Turkey’s intelligence service MIT, MIT Chief Hakan Fidan and NATO’s Gladio operations.

Fidan has reportedly also well-established and long-standing ties to Fetullah Gülen, a Turkish religious figure who is resident in the United States and who is known for his network’s close cooperation with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Mehmet Selim Kiraz’ autopsy report reportedly concluded that Kiraz was killed by a head-shot from a French 7.65 mm pistol that was used by one of the two alleged DHKP-C terrorists.

The two were identified as respectively, Yayla and Do?ruyol. One of the two allegedly shot the prosecutor in the head at close range.

Police would report that the decision to storm Kiraz’ office was made after shots had been fired inside his office. Several witnesses, however, would report that shots only were heard after an explosion, arguably, caused by police officers who were blasting their way into the office.

Further investigations may, or may not bring the exact details of the “hostage crisis” and the botched attempt to free Kiraz to light.

Until then, the questions why the DHKP-C, which has known ties to the MIT and NATO’s Gladio network would take it upon itself to “revenge the death of Berkin Elvan on behalf of Turkey’s left” remains unanswered,; That is, even by the DHKP-C itself.

The incident brings to mind the 1978 assassination of Italian PM Aldo Moro by a Brigade Rosse cell that had been infiltrated by NATO’s Gladio network or one that posed as a Brigade Rosse cell.

Moro was considering the formation of an Italian coalition government that would include Italy’s Communist Party.

The U.S. American historian Dr. Webster G. Tarpley would investigate and document the involvement of NATO’s Gladio network as consultant for the Italian government.

CH/L – nsnbc 04.04.2015

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Christof Lehmann – Dr. Christof Lehmann is the founder and editor of nsnbc. He is a psychologist and independent political consultant on conflict and conflict resolution and a wide range of other political issues. His work with traumatized victims of conflict has led him to also pursue the work as political consultant. He is a lifelong activist for peace and justice, human rights, Palestinians rights to self-determination in Palestine, and he is working on the establishment of international institutions for the prosecution of all war crimes, also those committed by privileged nations. On 28 August 2011 he started his blog nsnbc, appalled by misrepresentations of the aggression against Libya and Syria. In March 2013 he turned nsnbc into a daily, independent, international on-line newspaper. He can be contacted at nsnbc international at nsnbc.wordpress@gmail.com