HRANT DINK CASE PROSECUTORS SEARCH FOR LINK TO ‘CAGE PLAN’

ArmInfo
2010-04-07 16:16:00

ArmInfo. The prosecutors in the murder trial of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink have been investigating a possible link between
the journalist’s killing and the Cage Operation Action Plan.

As Today’s Zaman reported, the co-plaintiff lawyers demanded during
the 12th hearing of the Dink trial, that the court investigate whether
Dink’s killing was part of the Cage plan, an alleged military plot to
create panic and chaos exposed by the Taraf daily late last year. The
plan mostly focused on killing non-Muslims and bombing mosques to
create turmoil that would eventually help the plotters take over
the government.

Upon the demand of the lawyers, prosecutor Selim Berna Altay,
investigating Dink’s murder, and Fikret Secen, who was also recently
assigned to the trial, have been examining the indictment into
the plot.

The Cage plan was detailed on a CD seized last year from the office of
retired Maj. Levent Bektas, who was arrested in April for suspected
links to a large cache of munitions buried in Istanbul’s Poyrazkoy
area. That discovery came as part of an investigation into Ergenekon,
a clandestine gang whose suspected members are currently standing
trial on charges of having plotted to overthrow the government. The CD
exposed the group’s plans to assassinate prominent Turkish non-Muslim
figures and place the blame for the killings on the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party). The desired result was an increase in
internal and external pressure on the party, leading to diminishing
public support for the government.

The Cage plan calls the killings of Dink, Catholic priest Father
Andrea Santoro and three Christians in Malatya an "operation."

According to the police report, the mastermind behind the Cage plan
was Ibrahim Sahin, the former deputy chief of the National Police
Department’s Special Operations Unit. Prosecutor Altay has also
reportedly met with Dink’s family on the issue.

The lawyers of Dink’s family think that the killing of the journalist
was the work of an organized group.

The indictment into the Cage plan was accepted by the Istanbul
12th High Criminal Court late last month. According to the 65-page
indictment, the plot team was being coordinated and led by retired
Adm. Ahmet Feyyaz Ogutcu. The indictment calls for jail sentences
of up to 15 years for three admirals on charges of membership in a
terrorist organization.