On Thursday, 24 January, the police carried out operations against the al-Qaeda organisation in Gaziantep, in the south-east of Turkey. In one neighbourhood there were armed clashes between police and al-Qaeda for thirteen hours, during which five people were killed, one of them a police officer.

Eight police officers were wounded, as well as a passer-by.

Twenty-five people in custody

Finally, twenty-five people, six of them in Istanbul, were taken into custody, accused of having relations to the terrorist organisation.

On Monday, 28 January, the suspects were taken from the police station to the court to give their statements to the prosecution. There were heavy security precautions in place. There were some arguments when the police stopped members of the press from taking pictures.

The suspects had initially been questioned by experts from the Police Headquarter’s Terrorism and Intelligence Departments and were then taken to court in three buses belonging to the riot police.

The way to court was closed to traffic and pedestrians by riot police. The press was also not allowed any closer. (MG/NZ/AG)