Police arrest suspect in death of Armenian editor

Daily Times, Pakistan
Jan 22 2007

ISTANBUL: Turkish police on Saturday arrested the suspected killer
of a prominent Turkish-Armenian writer who had angered nationalists
with articles referring to a Turkish "genocide" of Armenians.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said he was pleased the suspect had
been arrested in such a short time. "The suspected murderer of
Hrant Dink, Ogun Samast, was caught in Samsun," Erdogan told a news
conference. Erdogan said it was too early to say whether Samast had
links to any organisations and the police investigation was continuing.

Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said Samast, a 17-year-old unemployed
youth from the Black Sea coastal town of Trabzon, and six other
people also detained would be brought to Istanbul for questioning.
Police arrested Samast after his father informed authorities that
the picture shown on television was his son.

Dink was the editor of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos
and Turkey’s best-known Armenian voice abroad. He was shot in broad
daylight as he left his office in Istanbul on Friday. "I am declaring
once more as an answer to provocateurs who have blood on their hands
that bullets fired at Hrant Dink were fired at all of us," Erdogan
told his AK Party earlier. "We are aware of our responsibility as
the government and we’re making this a priority … Hrant Dink was
a son of this land." reuters