Engineer at Turkish defense system producer Aselsan found dead at home

ANKARA

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An engineer working at Turkey’s leading defense system producer Aselsan was found dead at his house on Jan. 15 in Ankara, Cihan News Agency has reported.

Colleagues of 28-year-old electronics engineer Erdem Uğur called the police after not being able to reach him for two days. Uğur reportedly texted his colleagues two days ago, saying he would not go to work because he had fallen ill.

Police forcibly opened the door to Uğur’s house, where they found him dead in his bed. A note was reportedly left at the entrance to warn those entering that gas was leaking, and the police alsı found a cylinder next to Uğur’s bed.

Uğur was poisoned to death due to the gas leak, according to initial reports.

An investigation has been launched into the engineer’s death as police collected evidence from the house. Uğur’s body has been sent to the Forensics Institute for an autopsy.

Five other Aselsan engineers have previously been found dead in suspicious circumstances.

Hüseyin Başbilen was found dead in his car in 2006 with his throat and wrist cut. On Jan. 16, 2007 it was reported that engineer Halim Ünal was killed by a bullet in the head. Nine days after Ünal’s death, Evrim Yançeken died after falling from the sixth floor of the building in which he was living. It has been claimed that the engineers, who were all working on important projects, were murdered.

Following those three deaths, Burhanettin Volkan committed suicide by shooting himself on Oct. 9, 2007 while he was completing his military service. Volkan was reportedly receiving psychological treatment and married after beginning his military service, only 40 days before his death.

In 2013, Hakan Öksüz died in a car accident. Questions were raised over his death as nothing belonging to him - including his identity cards, wallet and cell phone - was found at the scene of the accident.