Hrant Dink’s killer: I am not sorry

Hurriyet, Turkey
Jan 22 2007

Ogun Samast, the 17 year old young man who has admitted to murdering
journalist Hrant Dink, and who was captured two nights ago in the main
Samsun bus station, gave a first description of Friday afternoon’s
events to gendarmes in Samsun, saying "Hrant Dink’s writing and
his speeches on television bothered me. I shot him directly. I am
not sorry."

Samast, who is maintaining he was alone during the actual shooting,
said "I was chosen because I was good at running, and a good shot
during shooting range practices. Yasin Hayal gave me the gun, and
wished me good luck."

Ogun Samast, after shooting Hrant Dink Friday afternoon, left Istanbul
on Saturday afternoon at 13.30 for Trabzon, traveling on an inter-city
bus belonging to the Metro Turizm company. His capture, on arrival in
Samsun, had been facilitated by his father, Ahmet Samast, who went to
the Samsun police after seeing images of the young man he recognized
as his son following the murder. By the time the information had
filtered through, Samast had already boarded the bus for Samsun;
police decided to allow the bus to reach its final destination,
the central Samsun bus station, before capturing Samast.

On arrival at the station, the bus was immediately boarded by police
forces in civilian outfits at the front door, while gendarmes boarded
through the middle doors. In searches which took place immediately
upon arrest, Samast was shown to be carrying only 1YTL on his person,
while the bag above his seat on the bus contained a loaded gun and the
white beret which had been captured on film at the time of the murder.

During initial testimony in Samsun, Samast explained that he had read
some of Armenian journalist Dink’s writings on the internet, and that
he was angered by them: "These things bothered me. I decided to kill
him. I went to Istanbul two days ago. I would do it again today. I
am not sorry."