Image: Jihad Watch
Turkish authorities have dropped an investigation into an alleged plot involving the recruitment of an ultranationalist figure by elements of the country’s intelligence services.
The individual had been hired as an assassin to target members of a small Protestant network in Malatya, a province in southeastern Turkey. This decision has sparked concerns over potential political interference, with critics alleging that the Islamist government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which wields considerable influence over the judiciary, may have played a role in the case's closure.
The plot came to light when the hired assassin had a change of heart and decided to expose the scheme. He disclosed that he had been instructed to carry out the murders under the supervision of Turkish intelligence officers. Detailed allegations were presented in a criminal complaint filed on September 5, 2022, by Vedat Serin, the pastor and representative of the Association of Kurtuluş (Salvation) Churches Foundation in Malatya.
The complaint stated that in August 2022, far-right figure Tolgahan Aban approached Serin to reveal the details of the plot. Aban claimed that in 2015, infamous army intelligence operatives had visited his office and ordered him to assassinate Christian missionaries.
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