Code-named “Mehmetali,” the clue-giver sent his fourth message late on Monday. The note also warned about plans to provoke those participating in the upcoming Nevruz, or Kurdish New Year's, celebrations so as to escalate tension in the country. The informer sent his first message, in which he claimed that a munitions-laden truck was traveling from Muğla to İstanbul, on March 10.
The police stopped the described truck outside of Ankara and found 900 hand grenades belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The TSK said it was transferring the explosives in a civilian vehicle because it cost less to do so. Questions still linger over why there was no security escort following the truck.
On March 11, the informant sent another message in which he claimed that four more vehicles full of explosives were on the road. “The four trucks have entered İstanbul and are going to go to terrorist organizations’ hideouts in Küçükçekmece. They changed plates six times while on the road from Ankara to İstanbul. Please take this seriously,” the second message read.
A third message was received four days later, early on March 15. The informer claimed that the four vehicles were intentionally let go.
In his latest message, Mehmetali warned the police that terrorists will be disguised as active-duty military officers and would assassinate a leading political figure in two weeks’ time. “Letting the truck go was a mistake. A game is being played over Turkey by giving active-duty military officer identity cards to civilians. The General Staff and the police are going to be pitted against one another. This will be supported by documents. The General Staff itself will discover these documents, and the police will be informed. Turkey will be dragged into irreversible tension. Factional religious clashes will break out among civilians. Kurdistan Workers’ Party [PKK] sympathizers will protest in the streets using Nevruz celebrations as a pretext. And a high-profile state official will be the victim of an assassination. These are all true. Everything needs to be investigated. All this will be carried out by fake active-duty military officers,” he claimed.
