MİT Truck Documents Prove Aid To Al-Qaeda And ISIL, Says CHP's Tezcan

Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Bülent Tezcan shared police records on Monday concerning the search of a National Intelligence Organization (MİT) truck in Adana as part of an investigation several months ago, asserting that the records prove that the Turkish government has supported radical groups in Syria and Iraq.

He said the records leave no room for doubt that the government has sent weapons and ammunition to the terrorist organizations al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria. Tezcan held a press conference on Monday on the grounds of Parliament and shared documents about arms-laden trucks, which later proved to belong to MİT, that were stopped in Adana by security forces in January of this year. He said between 25 and 30 rockets were found in each truck. He also showed that the documents that were attached to the weaponry found on the trucks were written in Cyrillic.

He claimed that the weapons were loaded onto the trucks at Ankara Esenboğa Airport, citing official testimony from a driver of one of the trucks. Tezcan said the documents clearly show that MİT transfers weapons to armed groups in the region.

The CHP deputy chairman said anybody encouraging and provoking armed organizations will eventually find those same weapons being used on themselves. He reiterated his allegations that Turkish intelligence provides the armed organizations with ammunition and weapons. He also said the weapons that were given to ISIS have now turned against Turkish citizens and asked whether the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government could have struck a deal with ISIS.

Tezcan also recalled a leaked recording that was broadcast on YouTube in which top security officials at the Foreign Ministry could be heard making plans to send operatives to Syria. These operative would then fire missiles at the Turkish side of the border, thus giving Turkey an excuse to attack Syria. “So have you [the government] carried the missiles you will throw at Turkey with these trucks in advance? Was it these trucks that carried the weapons used in the Reyhanlı attacks?” he asked, referring to a deadly terrorist attack in Reyhanlı, a border town in Hatay province, which caused the deaths of 53 people on May 11, 2013 and is believed to have been staged by al-Qaeda.

“Is it not a crime in international law to arm the militants of ISIL and al-Qaeda like this in the Middle East?” Tezcan asked during the press conference. “We know the answers to all of these questions and the government also knows the answers and they will one day give their answers in front of the Supreme State Council in Turkey, the name the Constitutional Court assumes while trying the current or former members of a government, and before international courts.”

He said when the search in Adana started none of the security officials carrying out the search had any idea that the trucks were owned by MİT. “The prosecutor's office on that day called the MİT regional administration, which initially said that it had no idea that such trucks would be passing through the region. Even the Adana office of MİT did not know about them, which clearly shows that this transfer operation was illegal.”

Tezcan said his disclosure marked the first time the documents had been shared with the public. He also said that there are currently several investigations regarding the trucks. “A preliminary investigation numbered 2014/P2 being conducted by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office lists MİT officials as suspects, and the investigation is looking into the claims of ‘providing arms to illegal armed terrorist organizations'.”

He said the same MİT officials are the subject of another investigation, numbered 2014/30800, again being carried out by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. He said the investigation is also based on claims of providing arms to illegal armed terrorist organizations. “They are trying to cover up these investigations,” he said, adding: “But it is as clear as day that there were weapons on the trucks being investigated. MİT has acted as a middleman in transferring the weapons, and the government has supported the operation. This crime was committed jointly [by MİT and the government] and is probably still being committed.”

The CHP deputy chairman also said footage showing the search of the truck was available. (Cihan/Today's Zaman)

SHOTLIST
TURKEY, ANKARA, 21 JULY 2014

Dais
VAR of Tezcan's statements

DURATION: 06:39