Turkish prosecutor killed by extremists despite rescue efforts

Source: Cleveland.com

ISTANBUL -- A prominent Istanbul prosecutor, held for hours by two leftist extremists in the main courthouse here, was killed Tuesday evening after Turkish special forces stormed the building, setting off a barrage of gunfire and explosions, in a desperate attempt to rescue him. The militants were also killed.

The risky raid on the courthouse came after hours of negotiations with the militants, who belonged to a radical group prominent during the Cold War and had barricaded themselves in a courthouse office with a gun to the head of the prosecutor, Mehmet Selim Kiraz. The apparent motivation grew out of a politically charged case involving the death of a teenage boy in antigovernment protests nearly two years ago. Kiraz had been overseeing the case.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday evening, Selami Altinok, Istanbul's police chief, said the decision to order the raid came after officers heard gunfire inside the room where the prosecutor was being held.

"We carried out negotiations for six hours," he said. "But our security forces launched an operation after gunshots were heard while the terrorists were on the phone to the negotiators."

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