Turkish far-right Grey Wolves head tracks address of assassinated former head

Duvar English

It has been one year since the assassination of Sinan Ateş, former head of the ultra-nationalist far-right Grey Wolves connected to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), in the capital Ankara on Dec. 30, 2022. 

In the ongoing investigation, messages between current senior members in the group before the assassination have been revealed.

Asuman Aranca from the online news outer T24 reached the expert report included in the ongoing investigation into Ateş's murder. 

The report included deleted messages and photographs about the assassination plot recovered from the mobile phone of group member Tolgahan Demirbaş, who allegedly kidnapped the shooter Eray Özyağcı after the murder.

The correspondence demonstrated that Ateş was being followed by the far-right group starting approximately nine months before his murder.

Accordingly, Demirbaş sent Ateş's phone number to the homicide bureau commissioner in March 2022, saying, "Chief, our head asked for (tracking) phone number +90xxx and its address, if you do not mind.”

Turkish authorities on Oct. 19 arrested the homicide bureau commissioner for collaborating with the assassination as a public officer.

When the commissioner said, "This number goes to the previous head, “Demirbaş replied, "Exactly, chief, they dug his grave.” Afterwards, the commissioner replied, "I will call you soon.”

The expert report pointed out that approximately one and a half hour after this correspondence, Demirbaş recorded Ateş's address in the notes section of his mobile phone and stated, The commissioner called Demirbaş after querying Ateş's address from the system and gave the address. Furthermore, it was determined that they had five calls one day before the assassination."

One of the most striking aspects of Demirbaş's correspondence was with Ahmet Yiğit Yıldırım, the Head of the Grey Wolves. Demirbaş conveyed the location information received from Çağlar Zorlu, allegedly a former National Intelligence Organization (MİT) member, to Yıldırım by saying "My investigations are continuing sir.” 

In another correspondence, Yıldırım asks Demirbaş whether Ateş has entered Turkey and a day later Demirbaş confirmed that Ateş was in the country then.

In one texting with Demirbaş, another person said, "We heard that they have formed a team and they will shoot (Ateş) in the head."

Among the messages received from a person named Burak Kılıç, there were photos and videos from Ateş's house. Kılıç's profile on his social media accounts stated that he has been the "Deputy Chair of the Grey Wolves.”

Another striking correspondence between Demirbaş and Emre Yüksel, Deputy Chair of the Grey Wolves, took place approximately 40 minutes before Ateş was shot. Demirbaş sent location to Yüksel two times and a post written in another group stating that Ateş was attacked and lost his life. 

The location Demirbaş sent to Yüksel turned into a very important piece of evidence for the elucidation of the murder. The investigation revealed that the location sent by Demirbaş to Yüksel approximately 40 minutes before the attack was the address where the shooter was first dropped off after the attack, when he was transported by motorbike.

Ateş, former Grey Wolves head, was assassinated by two people on a motorcycle while leaving a building on Dec. 30, 2022, in the capital Ankara.

At least 18 people were detained as part of the investigation into Ateş’s assassination. Some police officers as well as MHP and Grey Wolves members were among those detained. The shooter has not been caught yet.

Ateş was the head of Grey Wolves, a group of far-right ultra-nationalist Turks known as “Ülkü Ocakları” in Turkish, between 2019 and 2020. He became the head of Grey Wolves upon MHP leader Bahçeli’s instruction.

Ateş resigned from his duty on April 2, 2020 at the request of Bahçeli and started working as an academic at Hacettepe University, Department of History.

MHP officials, including Bahçeli, avoided offering their condolences to Ateş during this period.

Some of Ateş’s family members claimed that he was murdered within the knowledge of MHP officials.

The Grey Wolves, seen as a wing of the MHP, are banned in several European countries due to their radical attacks.

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