Alleged killer of Russian jet pilot detained in İzmir

İZMİR – Doğan News Agency

Alparslan Çelik, the alleged killer of Oleg Peshkov, the pilot of the Russian jet downed by Turkey on Nov. 24, 2015, according to Moscow, was detained in the Aegean province of İzmir on March 30. 

Çelik, who came to İzmir a short while ago with his friends whom he fought beside in Syria along with Turkmens against the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime, was having dinner with them at a restaurant in İzmir’s Hatay district when he was detained.

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 assault rifle, two pistols and a large number of bullets from the men, after which Çelik and his friends were taken to a police station to give their testimonies.

“Even though they were detained hours ago, we still didn’t hear an explanation about the detention. These people haven’t done anything legally wrong, they only supported our kin. We don’t accept the fact that they are detained,” said Sıddık Caner Erşen, the lawyer of Serkan Kurtuluş, who was detained alongside Çelik.

The interrogation of Çelik and 13 others was continuing.