Turkey Holds 11 over Attacks on Pro-govt Newspapers
Eleven people were arrested on Tuesday in a probe into an attack on the Istanbul offices of two pro-government Turkish newspapers, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
The suspects, who were rounded up in a series of raids across Istanbul, belong to the United Freedom Forces (BOG), a Kurdish militia unit which operates inside Syria, the agency said, quoting security sources, who said police seized documents and digital equipment.
The unit, which fights against jihadists from the Islamic State group, are reputedly close to the banned Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) and the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is viewed by Ankara as a terror group.
During the attack, which took place late on February 10, a group of five masked assailants hurled Molotov cocktails at the entrance of the offices of Yeni Safak daily before opening fire on the building with long-range rifles.
Shortly afterwards, another group, also armed with Molotov cocktails and rifles, attacked the offices of Yeni Akit. Nobody was hurt in the attacks which caused only minor damage.
The authorities immediately pointed the finger at rebels from the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Both newspapers are strong supporters of the government's military operations against the PKK in southeast Turkey which activists claim has cost dozens of civilian lives.
In September, the offices of leading daily newspaper Hurriyet were attacked twice by pro-government demonstrators, but legal proceedings were never brought against the perpetrators.
Turkey was ranked 149 out of 180 countries in the 2015 World Press Freedom Index which is compiled by watchdog Reporters Without Borders.
Source: Agence France Presse
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