Turkey's Paris envoy reveals crucial detail in PKK murders

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Hürriyet photo

After killing three Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members in Paris, the killer or killers locked the door of the office where the attack took place, Turkey's ambassador to Paris, Tahsin Burcuoğlu said. 

Police responding to the scene of the crime were forced to break in when they arrived as the “attackers had locked the doors and then left,” according to Burcuoğlu.

The murders took place late Jan.9, shaking the communities of both Turkey and France. However, the bodies were not discovered until around 1:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. this morning.

The motive behind the murders remains unknown, Burcuoğlu said, adding that French authorities are considering the issue to be one of high priority.

“The arrival of the French interior minister at the scene shows how important the issue is for France,” Burcuoğlu said.

Sakine Cansız, one of the PKK’s founders back in 1978, Brussels-based Kurdistan National Congress' (KNK) Paris representative Fidan Doğan and Leyla Söylemez were found dead in an office located near Gare du Nord station.

Security measures have since been tightened for all Turkish state representatives in France and the number of guards at the Paris Embassy have increased following the attack.