İbrahim Şahin
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İbrahim Şahin (born 20 August 1956) is a Turkish ultranationalist and co-conspirator in the murder of the Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink Hrant Dink (; Western ; 15 September 1954 â€“ 19 January 2007) was a Turkish-Armenian intellectual, editor-in-chief of ''Agos'', journalist, and columnist. As editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper ''Agos'', Dink was a ...
. He led General Directorate of Security's
special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
unit, the
Special Operations Department The Police Special Operations Department () or Police Special ActionJoost Jongerden, ''The Settlement Issue in Turkey and the Kurds: An Analysis of Spatial Policies, Modernity and War'', Brill, 2007p. 70./ref> (), abbreviated as PÖH, is the poli ...
() and, following dismissal in 1996 for associating with ultra-nationalist drug trafficker and contract killer
Abdullah Çatlı Abdullah Çatlı (1 June 1956 – 3 November 1996) was a Turkish secret government agent, as well as a contract killer for the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). He led the Grey Wolves, the youth branch of the Nationalist Movement Party ...
, was tarnished by complicity in the wide-ranging government conspiracy which became known as the
Susurluk scandal The Susurluk scandal () or Susurluk accident (), was a 1996 political scandal in Turkey that exposed a close relationship between the Turkish government, the ultra-nationalistic paramilitary Grey Wolves (organization), Grey Wolves organization an ...
. The event, which began with the November 1996 car crash which killed Çatlı and other prominent individuals, resulted in Şahin's arrest and subsequent acquittal. His career, however, was effectively ended, and there were additional weapons-related charges in 1999, with a six-year prison term imposed in 2001. In 2008 he suffered a memory-impairing traffic accident and, in 2009, was among 37 highly placed officials named in the government investigation of
deep state Deep state is a term used for (real or imagined) potential, unauthorized and often secret networks of power operating independently of a State (polity), state's political leadership in pursuit of their own agendas and goals. Although the term ori ...
organization Ergenekon.


Career from 1976 to 1996

A native of the
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
n city of
Tokat Tokat is a city of Turkey in the mid-Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is the seat of Tokat Province and Tokat District.
, the capital of
Tokat Province Tokat Province () is a province in northern Turkey. Its area is 10,042 km2, and its population is 596,454 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are Amasya to the northwest, Yozgat to the southwest, Sivas to the southeast, and Ordu to the northeast. ...
, İbrahim Şahin began his police career at the age of 20, following graduation from the police academy in 1976. Holding the rank of assistant superintendent, he was assigned to the police unit in another provincial capital, Sinop. In 1978, he fulfilled his military duties in
Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...
and the
Isparta Isparta is a city in western Turkey. It is the seat of Isparta Province and Isparta District.İl ...
Commando School and four years later, in 1982, joined the police force of yet another provincial capital,
Bitlis Bitlis ( or ; ) is a city in southeastern Turkey. It is the seat of Bitlis District and Bitlis Province.Eastern Anatolia The Eastern Anatolia region () is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous province in the region is Van Province. Other populous provinces are Malatya, Erzurum and Elazığ. It is bordered by the Black Sea Region and Georgia in th ...
. Later that year he transferred to the newly formed Special Operations Department and completed a course in Special Operations from the
Turkish General Staff The General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri Genelkurmay Başkanlığı'', ''abbreviation: TSK Gnkur. Bşk.lığı'') is the highest staff organization in the Turkish Armed Forces. Chief ...
's Special Warfare Department (). In 1984 he was sent to Germany for commando training from the country's Federal Police elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit
GSG 9 , formerly , is the police tactical unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The unit is responsible for combatting terrorism and violent crime, including organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-H ...
and, in 1987, travelled to the United States to receive additional counter-terrorism training. The following year he was appointed head of Special Operations branch assigned to the police of yet another provincial capital in Southeastern Anatolia,
Siirt Siirt (; ; ; ) is a city in the Siirt District of Siirt Province in Turkey. It had a population of 160,340 in 2021. The city is predominantly inhabited by Kurds. Neighborhoods The city is divided into the neighborhoods of Afetevlerı, Alan, ...
. By 1990, he was in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, performed the same duty for the capital city's police and, in 1993, was chosen by director general of the General Directorate of Security and organizer of the Police Special Forces ('' Özel Harekat Dairesi''),
Mehmet AÄŸar Mehmet Kemal AÄŸar (born on 30 October 1951) is a Turkish former police chief, politician, government minister and leader of the Democratic Party. He was a police officer who rose to General Director of the General Directorate of Security (effec ...
, as the first commander of Special Operations for the entire police force. Special Operations became particularly active in the conflict with Kurdish separatists, and carried out covert operations, such as assassinations of those suspected of lending support to the
Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...
.


Susurluk scandal

The fatal car crash, which occurred on 3 November 1996 in the small northwestern town of
Susurluk Susurluk is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Balıkesir Province, Turkey. Its area is 652 km2, and its population is 37,724 (2022). It is famous for its production of soap and dairy products. The highway from Istanbul to Ä ...
, exposed links between politics, organized crime and the bureaucracy, referred to in Turkish as the ''derin devlet'' eep state Upon Çatlı's death in the crash and the exposure of Şahin's intertwined connections to him, Şahin was dismissed from his posts and investigated for protecting members of the police department who were involved in the assassination, three months before the Susurluk crash, of controversial businessman
Ömer Lütfü Topal Ömer Lütfü Topal, sometimes spelled Lütfi (1942 – July 28, 1996), was a Turkish businessman, who was deeply involved in the Susurluk scandal. He had convictions for drug smuggling, and was dubbed the "casino king" for the gambling ventures ...
, known as the "casino king", as well as those implicated in the abduction of another shady operative, Tarık Ümit.
Tansu Çiller Tansu Çiller (; born 24 May 1946) is a Turkish academic, economist, and politician who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Turkey from 1993 to 1996. She was Turkey's first and only female prime minister. As the leader of the True Path Party ...
, Turkey's first female prime minister, who served from June 1993 to March 1996, requested Şahin's return to the police force and said that he was owed an apology. However, on 27 January 1997 a warrant was issued for his arrest and although he initially eluded capture, on 6 March he was charged with 5–9 years in jail for felony and surrendered within five days later, ultimately being acquitted six months later, on 12 September. After a passage of eighteen months, in March 1999, he was charged for up to year's imprisonment for allegedly losing weapons donated to the police. Nine years later, on 28 March 2008, he was in a serious traffic accident and lost his memory. On 14 April he was sentenced to one year in jail for negligence. His deposition in May was ineffectual because of his memory problem. He and his subordinate
Korkut Eken Korkut Eken (born 1945) is a former Turkish military officer and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) agent. He became involved in the Susurluk scandal in Turkey after some of his subordinates, notably Ayhan Çarkın, were convicted of extraj ...
were initially handed a six-year sentence. This was later reduced to 486 days. Åžahin's plea to president
Ahmet Necdet Sezer Ahmet Necdet Sezer (; born 13 September 1941) is a Turkish statesman and judge who served as the tenth president of Turkey from 2000 to 2007. Previously, he was president of the Constitutional Court of Turkey from January 1998 to May 2000. The ...
to pardon the rest on account of his ill health was granted.


Ergenekon investigation

Åžahin was one of 37 people detained in the Ergenekon investigation's January 2009 wave of arrests. The Turkish police said the round-up was triggered by orders Åžahin gave to assassinate twelve Armenian community leaders in the provincial capital of
Sivas Province Sivas Province () is a province of Turkey. It is located in the eastern part of the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Its area is 28,164 km2 (the second largest province after Konya), and its population is 634,924 (2022). Its adjacent prov ...
. A map describing the location of an arms cache was found in his house. A team of excavators found the following in
Gölbaşı, Ankara Gölbaşı is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Ankara Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,364 km2, and its population is 150,047 (2022). It is south of the city of Ankara. Its elevation is . The district includes the Lake Moga ...
: *
9 mm caliber This is a list of firearm cartridges that have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Case length'' refers to the round case Case or CASE may refer to: Instances * Instantiation (disambiguation), a realization of a concept, theme, or design ...
bullets * boxed explosive * ignition mine *
plastic explosive Plastic explosive is a soft and hand-moldable solid form of explosive material. Within the field of explosives engineering, plastic explosives are also known as putty explosives or blastics. Plastic explosives are especially suited for explos ...
s * two lightweight anti-tank weapons * 10
hand grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...
s whose serial number had been deleted * 10
smoke bomb A smoke bomb is a firework designed to produce a large amount of smoke upon ignition. History Early Japanese history saw the use of a rudimentary form of the smoke bomb. Explosives were common in Japan during the Mongol invasions of the 13th ...
s used in training with colored smoke According to the police, the weapons were wrapped in newspapers from 2004. Excavations in other parts of
Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
have been launched.Duvaklı, Melih. ''Today's Zaman'', 10 January 2009
"Weapons found in Gölbaşı different from Susurluk rifles"
/ref>


References


External links


Photographs of İbrahim Şahin


{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahin, Ibrahim Susurluk scandal Turkish police officers People from ReÅŸadiye Living people 1956 births