Alleged killer of Russian jet pilot detained on fraud charges

İZMİR – Doğan News Agency

Alparslan Çelik, who Russia has alleged killed Oleg Peshkov, the pilot of the Russian jet downed by Turkey on Nov. 24, 2015, was detained in the Aegean province of İzmir on fraud charges, according to police sources. 

Çelik was held in İzmir on March 30, while he was having dinner with his friends whom he fought beside in Syria along with Turkmens against the Syrian army at a restaurant.

According to the sources, Çelik was sought by the police for fraud and counterfeit money charges.
 
Arrest warrants were issued for Çelik for convict and prisoner escape in Elazığ on 2014, for fraud in Ankara in 2015 and two counterfeit money crimes in Muğla. Four arrest warrants were issued for threatening, fraud and breach of faith for Çelik, who has a prison sentence for 2.5 years, the İzmir Police Department head said.

The warrants on fraud charges were about Çelik allegedly collecting aid money to send to Turkmen Mountain.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on Çelik’s detention, saying that Russia wants more information about the case. Speaking to the journalists, Peskov said Russian officials don’t know the reason why Çelik was detained.

“We need more information about what he is charged with, what he will be charged with and how the murder will be handled by Turkish prosecutors. We still don’t know [this information],” Peskov said. “The court can decide whether he is guilty or not. In this case, this person confessed to his crime, I can’t draw conclusions about the other issues. It would be wrong.”

Çelik and 13 others were detained after an unidentified person called the police and said there were men with guns in the restaurant.

Police seized a Kalashnikov, an assault rifle, two walkie-talkies, six pistols and approximately 150 bullets from the men, after which Çelik and his friends were taken to a police station to give their testimonies.