Probe launched into journalist murder in 1996 after mob leader’s exposés

ANKARA

The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the murder of a Turkish Cypriot journalist in 1996 following the claims of Sedat Peker, a fugitive mafia boss who has recently been making online exposés about his network’s criminal acts and relations with the politics.

Kutlu Adalı, a prominent investigative journalist, was assassinated on July 6, 1996, in Turkish Cyprus, but the perpetrators of this murder could never be identified.

Peker, who is in the United Arab Emirates and has been broadcasting videos via YouTube, claimed that he was commissioned to assassinate Adalı in 1996 by Mehmet Ağar, a former interior minister and head of the Police Department, and Korkut Eken, a former Turkish military and intelligence officer.

Peker said he entrusted his own brother Atilla Peker and another hitman to fulfill the mission, but the assassination took place before his team could do it. He did not say who killed the prominent journalist.

In a written statement, the prosecutor’s office said that Atilla Peker recently appealed to a local court about the incident, and in line with the information provided, a probe was launched immediately.

It also informed that necessary documents and information have been demanded from the Turkish Cypriot authorities. The prosecutor’s office has also said Atilla Peker would be invited to give his testimony about the claims he made in his petition.