Turkish police fatally shoot former police officer, a "terror suspect"

Turkish police fatally shoot former police officer, a "terror suspect"
Publish:
A+ A-
A former police officer, allegedly affiliated with Gulenist movement, died after he was shot by the police during a hot pursuit.

A man died of injuries he suffered in a shooting by the police in Turkey's western border province of Edirne.

According to a report by Turkish news agency DHA, the police received information that some suspects who are allegedly affiliated with the Gulenist movement were planning to flee Turkey, and took action on Friday to stop a vehicle which was believed to be carrying five suspects.

The driver reportedly did not comply with the police's order to stop at a check point, and the vehicle was chased by the police who fired at the vehicle, severely injuring a former police officer named Sedat Turkmen.

Turkmen, who was taken to the hospital for treatment, died on Monday of the injuries he suffered. He was a suspect in an ongoing investigation on the Gulenist movement, and four other former police officers traveling in the vehicle - all previously removed from police duty - were taken into custody, DHA said.

Gulenist movement that had been a close ally of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was outlawed by the government after conflicts emerged between the two, and not only active members but all sympathizers of the Gulenist movement were targeted following the failed military coup in 2016.

The movement led by US-based Islamic scholar Fetullah Gulen is referred to by Turkish authorities as "Fetullahist Terrorist Organization," or "FETO," and is designated a "terrorist group."