Man accused of instigating political murder captured

A man who is accused of instigating the assassination of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ates was captured in Istanbul on Thursday.

Dogukan Cep, also known by the nickname of "Dodo," was captured in a police raid on a hotel in the village of Ishakli in Istanbul's Beykoz district.

Cep reportedly tried to flee into a forested area near the hotel, and was apprehended after the police fired warning shots and stopped him.

Cep had been sentenced to a prison term of 35 years in 2018 over charges including involvement in the murder of Hasan Ferif Gedik in Istanbul, and has been in the run for four years.

Two special task force officers were also arrested on Thursday in the context of the ongoing investigation.

Ufuk Kokturk, an official of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), is among the detainees in the case.

Sinan Ates was murdered on 30 December in Ankara by gunmen. Ates, who had served as the chair of the Grey Wolves - officially named Idealist Hearths - in 2019-20, had been subjected to a smearing campaign by some MHP officials who claimed he was affiliated with Gulen movement (referred to as "Fetullahist Terror Organization" or "FETO" by Turkish authorities). Ates was also accused of factionalism.