Suspect Arrested In Murder Of 9 Afghans

Months after it emerged that nine Afghans whose bones were discovered in May near Budakdoğanca village, close to Turkey's border with Bulgaria, were the victims of murder, a suspect has been arrested in connection with the crime.

Entering his field in the village, which is located around 500 meters from the Turkey-Bulgaria border, a local villager discovered human bones in a thicket. The concerned villager then reported his find to the village head (muhtar), who informed the Edirne Provincial Gendarmerie Command. On searching the area, gendarmes uncovered bones belonging to nine women and children. The bones were collected and sent to the İstanbul Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) for further research. Autopsies determined that the Afghans had died of shotgun wounds, disproving initial suspicions that they had died as a result of exposure to the elements while attempting to illegally cross the Bulgarian border.

In order to shed light on the violent deaths of these nine Afghan migrants, the Edirne Provincial Gendarmerie Command began an intensive investigation. The gendarmerie solved the murders step by step, starting with the evidence of a portrait photograph of one of the migrants found among the remains. First the province in which the photograph was taken and then the photo studio was determined. Based on the photographer's statements, an Afghan citizen living in the province was contacted. This person, who said he had known the nine victims, gave the police the telephone number of someone with whom the migrants had spoken before they made the trip toward the border. With the assistance of the Edirne Prosecutor's Office, the telephone's owner was ascertained, and three people were identified in connection with the deaths.

Following these steps, four people were subjected to physical and technical surveillance for almost three months. The gendarmerie conducted a simultaneous operation on Nov. 21 on addresses in the provinces of Edirne, Kırklareli and Adana, taking the individuals E.K. in Adana, O.T. in Kırklareli and A.F. and L.F. in Edirne into custody. After questioning these suspects at the Edirne Provincial Gendarmerie Command, the relevant evidence was forwarded to a court. Of these suspects, only E.K. was arrested, on the charge of "killing in a fiendish and bloodthirsty way." The others were released pending trial.(Cihan/Today's Zaman)

SHOTLIST
TURKEY, EDIRNE, 23 NOV 2014

FILE IMAGES
Gendarmerie teams scan the area seeking for evidences
VAR of Gendarmerie vehicles
Gendarmerie's use dogs in search works
VAR of crime scene team works
VAR of the scene

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