This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/08/shots-fired-at-pro-kurdish-footballer-deniz-naki-on-motorway

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Pro-Kurdish footballer Deniz Naki shot at on German motorway Pro-Kurdish footballer Deniz Naki shot at on German motorway
(about 14 hours later)
German-Turkish player, sentenced last year by Turkish court for terrorist propaganda, unharmed after his car came under fire
Agence France-Presse in Berlin
Mon 8 Jan 2018 14.39 GMT
Last modified on Mon 8 Jan 2018 16.28 GMT
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share via Email
View more sharing options
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google+
Share on WhatsApp
Share on Messenger
Close
German prosecutors have opened an attempted murder investigation after a German-Turkish football player known for his pro-Kurdish views was fired at on a motorway.German prosecutors have opened an attempted murder investigation after a German-Turkish football player known for his pro-Kurdish views was fired at on a motorway.
Deniz Naki, who plays for the Turkish third-tier club Amedspor in the majority-Kurdish city of Diyarbakır, was unharmed in the incident in western Germany late on Sunday, but told German media he had feared for his life.Deniz Naki, who plays for the Turkish third-tier club Amedspor in the majority-Kurdish city of Diyarbakır, was unharmed in the incident in western Germany late on Sunday, but told German media he had feared for his life.
He said his car came under fire from a black van on the A4 motorway near Düren, forcing him on to the hard shoulder and leaving two bullets lodged in the SUV.He said his car came under fire from a black van on the A4 motorway near Düren, forcing him on to the hard shoulder and leaving two bullets lodged in the SUV.
“I was afraid for my life,” the German-born player told Die Welt newspaper.“I was afraid for my life,” the German-born player told Die Welt newspaper.
“One bullet hit my car in the middle of the window, the other landed near a tyre. Luckily, I wasn’t hit.”“One bullet hit my car in the middle of the window, the other landed near a tyre. Luckily, I wasn’t hit.”
Naki, 28, who represented Germany at under-19 level and also played for the German club FC St Pauli, said he was convinced he was targeted because of his criticism of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.Naki, 28, who represented Germany at under-19 level and also played for the German club FC St Pauli, said he was convinced he was targeted because of his criticism of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“I am a walking target in Turkey because of my pro-Kurdish stance,” he told bento, an online news portal.“I am a walking target in Turkey because of my pro-Kurdish stance,” he told bento, an online news portal.
He said he believed the attacker was either a Turkish government agent or a rightwing Turkish radical.He said he believed the attacker was either a Turkish government agent or a rightwing Turkish radical.
“I always knew that something like this could happen, but I would never have thought it could happen in Germany,” he told Die Welt.“I always knew that something like this could happen, but I would never have thought it could happen in Germany,” he told Die Welt.
Naki, who was visiting Germany, was convicted last year of making terrorist propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party and handed a suspended prison term by a Turkish court.Naki, who was visiting Germany, was convicted last year of making terrorist propaganda for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party and handed a suspended prison term by a Turkish court.
The sentence came after he used social media to criticise the government’s operations against PKK militants in south-east Turkey.The sentence came after he used social media to criticise the government’s operations against PKK militants in south-east Turkey.
He denied the charges, saying he only wanted to offer a message of peace in the deadly standoff between the army and Kurdish militants.He denied the charges, saying he only wanted to offer a message of peace in the deadly standoff between the army and Kurdish militants.
A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office in Aachen declined to say whether a political motive for the incident was suspected.A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office in Aachen declined to say whether a political motive for the incident was suspected.
“We are investigating in all directions,” said Katja Schlenkermann-Pitts.“We are investigating in all directions,” said Katja Schlenkermann-Pitts.
Germany
Turkey
Kurds
Europe
Middle East and North Africa
news
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share via Email
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google+
Share on WhatsApp
Share on Messenger
Reuse this content