Mayor’s brother arrested in relation to gun attack against DEM Party’s building
The brother of the southeastern Şanlıurfa province’s Birecik district mayor who resigned from the pro-Kurdish DEM Pary after the local elections was arrested over his relation to gun attack against the party’s building in the district.
Duvar English
Halil Begit, brother of Mehmet Begit, the Mayor of Birecik Municipality in Şanlıurfa province, on May 9 was arrested in connection with an armed attack on the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party building in the district.
Mayor Mehmet Begit had resigned from the DEM Party after nearly one month of his election to the mayorship.
On May 8, DEM Party Birecik District Organization building was subjected to an armed attack and 14 bullets hit the windows of the office.
After the armed attack, a second attack was carried out at night. The person or persons who hit the window of the district building with a hard object caused material damage to the district building.
No one was killed or injured in both attacks.
According to the news in Mesopotamia News Agency, the current mayor’s brother Halil Begit allegedly threatened DEM Party district executives on the evening of the attack. The district executives, who were threatened via WhatsApp messages, filed a criminal complaint against Halil Begit to the prosecutor's office.
After the March 31 local elections, Mehmet Begit, who was elected Co-Mayor of Birecik Municipality, resigned from the DEM Party after a short period of time. After Begit's resignation, DEM Party members continued to criticize him and also orchestrated protested in the municipality council.
Recently, DEM Party members issued a press statement against the current mayor and organized a sit-in protest in front of the municipality to call Begit to resign.