NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Feb 9 2007

Turkish police officer denies knowing of tip offs on Dink murder
threat

The Interior Ministry gave permission to inspectors to investigate
Istanbul police chief Celalettin Cerrah over the murder of Dink.

Güncelleme: 18:37 TSÝ 09 Þubat 2007 CumaISTANBUL – A senior Turkish
police officer has denied having any knowledge of information on
plots to murder prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who
was gunned down in Istanbul on January 19.

Istanbul police chief Celalettin Cerrah, who is currently under
investigation over claims he knew of plans to murder Dink, said
during a meeting with a delegation of Turkey’s Parliamentary Human
Rights Committee late Thursday that no information had been passed to
him over any threat to the journalist. `I did not know about the
tip-off,’ he said. The Trabzon intelligence sent a document but it
did not reach me.’

Cerrah, who has come under fire for saying that there was no
organisation behind Dink’s killing murder soon after the murder, said
that he did not make that statement officially.

In another development in the Dink murder investigation, it has been
revealed that police informant Erhan Tuncel, who has also been
claimed to be the mastermind of the assassination, was not formally
questioned by police after the slaying of Dink.

Tuncel apparently had an informal conversation with police, a
verbatim report of which was put into the records. However, police
say this report can be used in evidence. Tuncel refused to give a
formal statement before the court hearing into Dink’s murder was
opened and claimed that he would reveal all facts during the case.