Suspect denies killing Russian pilot

İZMİR – Doğan News Agency

Alparslan Çelik, the alleged killer of Oleg Peshkov, the pilot of the Russian jet downed by Turkey on Nov. 24, 2015, according to Moscow, has reportedly claimed that he didn’t shoot Peshkov in his testimony. 

Çelik, who was arrested on April 3 for violating a gun law along with six other suspects, presented video footage of himself on Youtube in which he suggests “the pilot shouldn’t be shot at” to the prosecution office as evidence that he didn’t kill the pilot.

Claiming he warned others around him not to shoot when the pilot ejected from the downed plane, Çelik told the prosecutor the Russian pilot could have been killed by another group fighting alongside the Turkmens in Syria and he “definitely” didn’t shoot the pilot. 

Çelik didn’t answer any questions on the incident while he was in the police department and said that after the incident he had made a statement about the murder as a commander. 

As the court was not able find enough evidence about the incident, it didn’t rule for the arrest of Çelik in relation with the murder. However, the court ruled for the arrest of Çelik for carrying a weapon used in warfare. 

Çelik and 14 others were detained in the Aegean province of İzmir on March 30 after an unidentified person called the police and said there were men with guns in a restaurant.

Police seized a Kalashnikov, an assault rifle, two walkie-talkies, six pistols and approximately 150 bullets from the men. Çelik and his friends were then taken to a police station to give their testimonies.

Meanwhile, on a further search on the suspects and their cars from Syria, the police found another Kalashnikov and two Thomson automatic weapons.