Turkey’s parliamentary speaker contacts US over murders

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Cemil Çiçek has sent an official letter to his U.S. counterpart condemning the murder of three young Muslim students that occurred last week in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Çiçek on Feb. 18 sent a letter to John Boehner, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, condemning the murder of three young Muslim students.

Çiçek said it was a “great sadness” to hear about the murders in Chapel Hill.

Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were fatally shot last week.

Their neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, surrendered to police after the attack and has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

“We strongly condemn this heinous attack and hatred,” Çiçek said. “I believe there should be a wide investigation into this heinous attack on all levels, at the state and federal levels.”

U.S. President Barack Obama on Feb. 13 denounced the “brutal and outrageous murders.”