consul-general
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
in Turkey was kidnapped in
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
The 1970s were a turbulent time in Turkish history. Until
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
was imposed in Istanbul and Ankara on April 26, 1971, left‐wing extremists had been responsible for two kidnappings of American servicemen as well as two abductions of wealthy Turks. They had also robbed several banks and bombed numerous businesses and schools. Elrom's abduction broke period of relative inactivity on the part of the leftist militants.
Victim
Efraim Elrom (né Hofstaedter) was born in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in 1911. In 1969, joined the foreign service and as required and adopted a Hebrew name as required. He was assistant commander of a special interrogation unit set up immediately after
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
at 04:15 five days later on Sunday May 23, 1971 with three bullet wounds in his head.
Perpetrators
Mahir Çayan, Ulaş Bardakçı, and Hüseyin Cevahir were identified as the abductors. The militant Turkish People's Liberation Army, a group linked with the Marxist Palestinian guerilla group
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين, translit=al-Jabhah al-Sha`biyyah li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn, PFLP) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and revolutionary soci ...
, claimed responsibility for the abduction. The group first came to attention on March 4 when it kidnapped four American servicemen in Ankara. Palestinian guerilla propaganda was frequently confiscated from Turkish leftists, and many militants received guerilla training in Arab countries, particularly in Syria.
Aftermath
The Turkish government and military cracked down on the entire radical left in Turkey, with the country seeing mass arrests. Israeli-Turkish relations became strained as Israeli authorities felt as if Turkey did not do everything possible to have Elrom rescued.