The painting, titled “Fight Love,” will be sent to the General Directorate of Fine Arts in Ankara to determine whether the painting is actually the work of the Spanish painter. The painting was found after teams from the Adana Police Department’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Unit raided a house after a tipoff. The owner of the house, Celal E. (35), was detained. While testifying, he said he works in the cargo transport business and had gotten the painting from someone in Iraq. The back of the painting had on it a stamp of the Kuwait National Museum, a stamp resembling the Eiffel Tower and a note reading “Pecasso / Year 1924 / Name Pectur Fight Love / Length: 90 / Width: 67 / Lover Meusem.” Three coins and clerical necklaces believed to date back to the Byzantine era were also seized in the same house.
Police foil assassination attempt on İzmir businessman
İZMİR A group of people who were allegedly planning to assassinate a businessman were taken into police custody in İzmir yesterday. One individual who is claimed to have created the assassination squad and five others, the alleged members of the squad, were apprehended in a police operation on suspicion of attempting to assassinate a businessman who had reportedly been involved in a dispute with the leader of the team. According to the Anatolia news agency, police teams started to tail some of the suspects after they received a tip saying certain individuals had obtained weapons illegally. It was later discovered by the police that one of the suspects, identified as M.T.T., formed a criminal gang with the aim of killing a businessman, identified as T.E.T., who has business interests in the transportation sector in İzmir and who is involved in a dispute with M.T.T. The cause of the dispute is unknown. The assassination squad was allegedly paid by M.T.T. and had worked out a plan to murder T.E.T. Following raids on two houses, police took the alleged gang leader, M.T.T., and five members of the squad into custody.
Several roads to be closed for İstanbul 2010 inauguration
İSTANBUL A number of roads in İstanbul’s Beyoğlu, Pendik, Kadıköy and Bağcılar districts will be closed this evening as İstanbul celebrates the launch of 2010 European Capital of Culture activities. Well-known Turkish artists will take the stage and meet İstanbullites tonight in several spots of the city. According to the İstanbul Governor’s Office, Güldeste Street in front of the Yalova dock in Pendik, where Kıraç will perform; Albay Faik Sözener Street in Kadıköy, where the band Mor ve Ötesi will perform; and Ahmet Yesevi Street and several other roads leading to Bağcılar Square, where Zara will perform, will be closed to traffic from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The traffic in Taksim Square, where renowned singer Tarkan will take the stage, and the roads leading to the square will be strictly checked by police from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and officials have warned that the roads may be closed to traffic from time to time during this time period.
