Court attacker found dead in prison

An Islamist attacker who killed one senior judge and wounded another in a 2006 attack on Turkey's highest administrative court committed suicide in his prison cell, Turkey's DHA news agency reports.

According to DHA, Alpaslan Arslan, who has had mental health problems for some time, tied plastic garbage bags together to hang himself from the ceiling.

Arslan had been hospitalized during his first time in prison because he had not eaten for a long time. Then he set fire to his infirmary in prison and was hospitalized after being harmed by the smoke. Due to his aggressive behavior, he was constantly monitored by a doctor. Arslan was admitted to the Institute of Forensic Medicine on the grounds that he was mentally unstable during the trial, but a decision was made to the contrary.

Arslan’s father said He did not believe his son committed suicide.

“My son was killed inside, he was not someone to commit suicide. I saw him 12 days ago. He said he wanted out,” Idris Aslan said.

The exact cause of death of Arslan, who underwent a preliminary autopsy, is expected to be announced after the investigations at the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

In 2006, while he was still a lawyer, Alparslan Arslan attacked Turkey's Court of Cassation with a handgun, shouting "I am the soldier of God" to kill judges who had been criticized for ruling against female teachers wearing Muslim headscarves. Judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin was shot dead in the attack, and Judge Mustafa Birden was wounded.