Court arrest new suspects in relation with casino-owner’s assassination

LEFKOŞA

Investigation into the gang-style execution of Turkish Cypriot casino-owner Halil Falyalı, who was gunned down with his driver earlier last week, has been ongoing as a court in Turkish Cyprus ordered the arrest of new suspects.

Four more people were arrested in Lefkoşa in relation to the assassination after being brought to court in a steel vest, while new findings reveal shocking details about the shooting.

Planning for the assassination began 45 days before the bloody execution, and the suspects monitored the businessman closely during this time, according to police sources.

Disguising as a customer and checking in to Falyalı’s five-star hotel in Kyrenia, one of the suspects reported what the victim had been doing day by day to third parties, the sources said.

Shortly before the murder, another team arrived on the island, providing multiple rental cars and disposable phones.

While the transportation and communication teams were leaving Turkish Cyprus before the murder, Mustafa Söylemez arrived in Lefkoşa but left the island by plane right after the murder.

Söylemez’s name was often mentioned in a series of murders, shootings and other mafia-related crimes that were committed during the 1990s and whose perpetrators were “mostly” not found.

Söylemez also reportedly had a telephone conversation with Falyalı before the drive-in shooting.

While it was determined that allegedly millions of dollars were paid to a hit team, including a Russian national, Turkish Cypriot police authorities believe that the reason for the assassination was an online betting dispute.

Falyalı was being driven home by a chauffeur when men with automatic guns attacked the car he was in on Feb. 8.