- Police released chilling audio of woman claiming credit for murder of two men
- Turkish Consul-General Sarik Ariyak and guard Engin Sever were shot in 1980
- The two men were gunned down outside a home in Sydney's Dover Heights
- The 'Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide' claimed responsibility
A chilling message claiming credit for the assassination of two men outside a house more than 40 years ago has been released as police ask for public assistance to decipher the message.
NSW Police released the audio as part of its ongoing investigation into the unsolved shooting of Turkish Consul-General Sarik Ariyak and his bodyguard, Engin Sever outside a house in Sydney's harbourside suburb of Dover Heights back in 1980.
Detectives released an audio recording of the phone call, which was made to a media outlet a short time after the murders, where a woman claimed responsibility for the attack.
The voice can be heard taking credit for the assassinations on behalf of the 'Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide', saying the attacks were in retaliation for the injustice done to Armenians.
'The attacks are in retaliation for the injustice done to the Armenians by Turkey in 1915,' the woman's voice says.
'And Turkish institutions are our target, for the Armenian genocide.'
Turkish Consul-General Sarik Ariyak, 50, and his bodyguard, Engin Sever, 28, were shot outside a residence on Portland Street, Dover Heights, about 9.45am on December 17, 1980.
The pair were leaving the residence in different vehicles, when they were approached by two unknown assailants, who fired multiple shots at close range before escaping on a motorcycle.
Mr Ariyak died at the scene, and Mr Sever died a short time later at St Vincent's Hospital.
Shortly after the attack, responsibility was claimed by the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide, however, despite extensive police investigations, no one has ever been charged over the attack.
Investigators are also seeking the public's help to decipher inaudible words spoken after, 'The authors of…' in case they are of significance to the investigation.
The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT), which includes the NSW Police Force, the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the NSW Crime Commission, restarted its investigation under Strike Force Esslemont.
Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Commander, Assistant Commissioner Mark Walton, urged the community to listen to the recording carefully as it could greatly assist with the investigation.
As part of their ongoing investigation into the unsolved Turkish Consul-General and his bodyguard shooting, detectives released an audio recording of a phone call, which was made to a media outlet a short time after the murders, claiming responsibility for the attack. Pictured is a COMFIT image of a person of interest in the attack
'Identifying the female through her voice – or recognising any indecipherable words in the audio – will greatly assist us with this investigation,' Assistant Commissioner Walton said.
'Police have strong reason to believe that there are members of the public who are aware of who this person is, and we urge them to come forward.
'While we continue this investigation, we suspect there are people who know exactly what happened that day but have not yet been willing to speak with authorities.
'We'd like to hear from these people as soon as possible, as well as anyone whose memory may be refreshed by the audio we've released – no matter how insignificant the information may seem, it could be invaluable to the investigation.'
Police also announced up to $1million would be paid for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the men's murders.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11075055/Police-release-audio-claiming-credit-assassination-Sarik-Ariyak-bodyguard-Engin-Sever.html