The arrest warrant was issued on Oct. 6 by the Ninth Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals. Şener Dünük is accused of assassinating Okkan in January 2001 in the southeastern city of Diyarbakır where he was serving as police chief. Five police officers were also killed in the assassination.
Dünük was captured during a police raid in October 2001 and was sentenced to six years in prison for being a member of Hizbullah, a fundamentalist terrorist organization. Dünük was, however, released shortly afterwards.
A public prosecutor appealed Dünük’s release and asked the Supreme Court of Appeals to re-arrest the suspect as there was strong evidence pointing to his role in Okkan’s assassination.
The Ninth Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals on Oct. 6 issued an arrest warrant for Dünük and asked the suspect’s army unit to confine him to the brig until an indictment against him was completed.
Dünük, however, fled his military unit in Malkara shortly after the issuance of the arrest warrant.
