Key suspect in political murder case released again

A key suspect in the case of the assassination of former Turkish Grey Wolves leader was released for the second time after a brief detention, T24's Asuman Aranca said on Tuesday.

Sinan Ates, former leader of the Grey Wolves - officially the Hearths of Ideal, affiliated with the far right Nationalist Movement party (MHP) - was assassinated in an armed attack in Ankara on 30 December.

Tolgahan Demirbas, a former official of the Grey Wolves, was detained at a house used by MHP deputy Olcay Kilavuz despite attempts by the latter to obstruct the police, but was released without being interrogated by the prosecution.

When the prosecution subsequently gave instructions to the police to bring Demirbas in for interrogation, the police allegedly said in return that the man "could not be found in his address."

In the process, the prosecutor in charge of the case took a leave of absence and was replaced by another prosecutor, Aranca said.

Demirbas was eventually detained and finally interrogated, though he was released for the second time.

13 suspects are currently in custody in the case, including the alleged instigator, a MHP official who admitted to having transferred money to the alleged instigator, and two special ops officers who are accused of accompanying the gunmen, including the suspected trigger man at large Eray Ozyagci, from Istanbul to Ankara in a vehicle.

Demirbas is allegedly suspected of aiding Ozyagci flee Ankara after the murder, according to Aranca.

Sinan Ates had been removed from his post by the MHP leadership in 2020, and accused by some MHP officials of factionalism, as he had also faced defaming attempts through groundless claims that he was affiliated with the Gulenist movement, once a close ally and recently the arch enemy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).