Şahin visits Hakkari under tight security

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Interior Minister Şahin walks in the streets of Hakkari under heavy security measures after a stoning attack. AA photo

Turkish Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin continued his ongoing trip to the eastern province of Hakkari yesterday under tighter security after angry locals attacked him with stones the previous day.

Şahin traveled from the provincial center to Şemdinli district via Sikorsky army helicopter that was escorted by Cobra army helicopters for security reasons.

The minister was attacked by a group of people who threw stones at him during his visit to Hakkari on Aug. 18.

Şahin was reportedly speaking with locals on Cumhuriyet Street after the fast-breaking dinner when the group began throwing stones at him while shouting slogans praising the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Police deployed pepper gas and water cannon while also firing into the air to disperse the group.
The minister was subsequently hurried to the Hakkari Governor’s Office after hiding in a cafe for 15 minutes for his protection. No injures were reported in the incident.

Şahin visited the police station’s social facilities and celebrated the first day of the Ramadan bayram holiday with the officers and their families. The minister was later set to head for the adjacent province of Van.

Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Hakkari deputy Adil Kurt, meanwhile, accused Şahin of “making provocations during Hakkari locals’ Ramadan bayram holiday” after discussing the matter with locals on Cumhuriyet Street. “The minister did not come to Hakkari to celebrate the bayram but to make provocations,” Kurt said.