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| Turkish prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz held hostage by armed militants over protest death | Turkish prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz held hostage by armed militants over protest death |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Suspected communist militants have taken a chief prosecutor hostage in Istanbul as revenge for the death of a teenage boy hit by a tear gas cannister during anti-government protests. | |
| Men believed to be members of the banned Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) posted pictures on social media of a gun being held to Mehmet Selim Kiraz’s head, threatening to shoot him unless authorities meet their demands. | |
| The group’s flag could be seen in the background as Mr Kiraz was seen gagged and with his hands tied in front of him. | |
| The Dogan news agency said shots were heard at the court house when Mr Kiraz was seized and special forces had entered the building after it was evacuated. Anti-government protesters mourn the death of Berkin Elvan, which the prosecutor was investigating | The Dogan news agency said shots were heard at the court house when Mr Kiraz was seized and special forces had entered the building after it was evacuated. Anti-government protesters mourn the death of Berkin Elvan, which the prosecutor was investigating |
| He is investigating the death of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan, who was hit by a police gas canister fired during nationwide anti-government protests in 2013. | He is investigating the death of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan, who was hit by a police gas canister fired during nationwide anti-government protests in 2013. |
| Tens of thousands of people took to the streets following his injury and subsequent death after 269 days in a coma. | Tens of thousands of people took to the streets following his injury and subsequent death after 269 days in a coma. |
| His death – the eighth related to protests in Gezi Park - re-ignited anger at the government, becoming a further symbol of police and government impunity. | His death – the eighth related to protests in Gezi Park - re-ignited anger at the government, becoming a further symbol of police and government impunity. |
| According to a statement released on halkinsesi.tv, the militants gave authorities until 3.36 pm local time (1.36pm BST) to meet their demands. | According to a statement released on halkinsesi.tv, the militants gave authorities until 3.36 pm local time (1.36pm BST) to meet their demands. |
| That deadline has now passed and there has not yet been any word from Turkish authorities about Mr Kiraz's wellbeing. | That deadline has now passed and there has not yet been any word from Turkish authorities about Mr Kiraz's wellbeing. |
| Turkish television stations cut live broadcasts earlier today, with some citing a reporting ban. | |
| Speaking to Hürriyet, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Vedat Yiğit said negotiations between militants and police "continue via a mediator that they picked". The DHKP-C bombed a police station in revenge for Berkin's death in January | Speaking to Hürriyet, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Vedat Yiğit said negotiations between militants and police "continue via a mediator that they picked". The DHKP-C bombed a police station in revenge for Berkin's death in January |
| "Our negotiators and Umit Kocasakal, the head of the Istanbul Bar Association, are talking to the militants," Istanbul Police Chief Selami Altunok said. | |
| "We are trying to resolve the issue without anyone being hurt." | |
| The group's conditions for the prosecutor's release include a television confession by the police officers suspected of killing Elvan, the prosecution of the officers responsible in a “people’s court” and the acquittal of all people being tried for participation in solidarity rallies after his death, the Hurriyet Daily News reported. | |
| Hüseyin Aygün, a Turkish lawyer and member of parliament with the Republican People's Party, wrote on Twitter that people want “justice, not revenge” for Berkin’s death. | Hüseyin Aygün, a Turkish lawyer and member of parliament with the Republican People's Party, wrote on Twitter that people want “justice, not revenge” for Berkin’s death. |
| He said he spoke on the phone to the boy’s father, Sami, after the crisis broke out and quoted him as saying: "My son is dead, but someone else should not die. The prosecutor must be released. Blood cannot be washed with blood." | He said he spoke on the phone to the boy’s father, Sami, after the crisis broke out and quoted him as saying: "My son is dead, but someone else should not die. The prosecutor must be released. Blood cannot be washed with blood." |
| “I don't want anyone to even get a nosebleed. Until today, I've only demanded justice, and I only want a fair trial,” Mr Elvan wrote later on Twitter. | “I don't want anyone to even get a nosebleed. Until today, I've only demanded justice, and I only want a fair trial,” Mr Elvan wrote later on Twitter. |
| Ben Sami Elvan! Kimsenin burnunun dahi kanamasını istemiyorum. Sadece adalet istedim bugüne kadar ve sadece adil bir yargılama istiyorum. | Ben Sami Elvan! Kimsenin burnunun dahi kanamasını istemiyorum. Sadece adalet istedim bugüne kadar ve sadece adil bir yargılama istiyorum. |
| The DHKP-C has been listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and US after a string of assassinations and suicide bombings since its foundation in the 1970s. | The DHKP-C has been listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and US after a string of assassinations and suicide bombings since its foundation in the 1970s. |
| It was unclear how militants entered the Çağlayan Justice Palace, thought to be the largest courthouse in Europe, but Istanbul was one of dozens of Turkish cities and provinces hit by a massive power cut today believed to be the country’s worst blackout in years. Shop workers sit in candle light at their shop after a major power cut in Istanbul, Turkey 31 March 2015. | It was unclear how militants entered the Çağlayan Justice Palace, thought to be the largest courthouse in Europe, but Istanbul was one of dozens of Turkish cities and provinces hit by a massive power cut today believed to be the country’s worst blackout in years. Shop workers sit in candle light at their shop after a major power cut in Istanbul, Turkey 31 March 2015. |
| It brought transportation to a standstill, disrupting services and potentially interfering with security systems. | It brought transportation to a standstill, disrupting services and potentially interfering with security systems. |
| In January, the DHKP-C claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a police station in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district that killed one officer and wounded another, claiming it was to “settle scores” over Berkin's death. | In January, the DHKP-C claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a police station in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district that killed one officer and wounded another, claiming it was to “settle scores” over Berkin's death. |
| Marxist-Leninist militants said on their website the ruling AK Party was responsible for the explosion and a grenade attack they launched on police at a historic palace near the Prime Minister’s office in Istanbul the week before. | Marxist-Leninist militants said on their website the ruling AK Party was responsible for the explosion and a grenade attack they launched on police at a historic palace near the Prime Minister’s office in Istanbul the week before. |
| Additional reporting by AP | Additional reporting by AP |