15.02.2026 11:53
It was determined that 5 of the 6 terrorists, who were members of the ISIS terrorist organization and died in the clash in which 3 police officers were martyred in Yalova, were detained in 2024 for the crime of 'membership in an armed terrorist organization' and were acquitted at the end of the trial in October 2025. Additionally, it was learned that the terrorists were preparing to assassinate the AK Party Yalova Provincial Chairman and were planning serious crimes against their families.
On December 29, 2025, around 02:00, during an operation against ISIS in Seher Street, İsmet Paşa Neighborhood, Yalova, police officers İlker Pehlivan (47), Turgut Külünk (50), and Yasin Koçyiğit (49) were martyred by gunfire from a house, and 8 police officers and 1 guard were injured. While 5 women and 6 children present at the address were evacuated safely, terrorists Lütfi Sordabak (25), Haşem Sordabak (28), Mehmet Cami Sordabak (32), Musa Sordabak (29), Zafer Umutlu (26), and İbrahim Dayan (24) were killed in the ensuing conflict. Following the incident, 66 of the 198 individuals detained in operations against the ISIS terrorist organization in the city were arrested.
8 OF 18 SUSPECTS DETAINED IN 2024 WERE ARRESTED
While the investigation initiated by the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the incident continues, in an operation against the ISIS terrorist organization in 2024, 18 suspects were detained who were found to be preparing to establish a jihadist group under the guise of 'morality' and 'sunnah' by gathering all pro-ISIS groups in Turkey and opening mosques for preaching/invitation activities. 8 of the suspects were arrested for the crime of 'membership in an armed terrorist organization.'
ORGANIZATIONAL TRAINING UNDER THE GUISE OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
In the 138-page indictment prepared by the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that the organization attempted to present their activities as legal by considering the 'Representations of the Morality and Sunnah Magazine', while cell activities continued in the background. It was noted that they were not a simple community, that they were considering carrying out actions and assassinations in Turkey, and that they were trying to establish the infrastructure in Turkey to realize their thoughts, stating that they would start actions when the time came. During meetings held under the guise of lessons and discussions, statements were made under the headings 'Preparation for War', 'The Importance of Individual Armament', and 'Every Muslim Should Receive Military Training and Know How to Use Weapons'. It was also mentioned in the indictment that a boarding course was planned to provide organizational training under the guise of religious education in Yalova, and it was determined that individuals who had previously been processed for the crime of 'membership in the ISIS armed terrorist organization' would provide training in these courses.
BASE BUILDING ACTIVITIES IN 24 PROVINCES
The indictment also stated that there were 97 associations, bookstores, mosques, and madrasas in 24 provinces, including Adana, Ağrı, Ankara, Batman, Bingöl, Bursa, Çankırı, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Muş, Sakarya, Samsun, Tekirdağ, Yalova, and Van, where personnel recruitment and base building activities were ongoing.
ASSASSINATION PREPARATION AGAINST THE PROVINCIAL CHAIRMAN OF THE AK PARTY
Among the suspects, B. K., A. B., and M. U. B., who were stated to be preparing for a high-profile action and assassination plan before going to conflict zones, were found to have messages in their seized mobile phones indicating that they were preparing for an assassination against the AK Party Yalova Provincial Chairman Umut Güçlü, recorded in the chat history of the messaging application they used called 'Converstatıons'. The indictment also included messages they sent to each other via the messaging program, including sketches and photos of the house belonging to Umut Güçlü's father, where he occasionally stayed, and their attempts to procure weapons.
REQUESTED TO OBTAIN A SILENCED WEAPON AFTER RECONNAISSANCE
B. K., who sent photos of the house to a person he communicated with via message, was seen marking the security cameras with a red circle. It was evaluated that B. K. did not settle for just the photo of the house he downloaded from the computer but also conducted reconnaissance in the area. He sent a message to an organization member codenamed 'Usutecik', marking a section of the house photo, stating, "There is an environment where we can comfortably see from that point by coming from the forested area. A ladder can be made in the forested area after getting out of the vehicle from that area, and then when it gets dark, we can go behind the house and observe. At night during sleep times, boom." It was also determined that at a different time, B. K. sent a message to the organization member codenamed 'Usutecik', saying, "Find me a suitable way to get a silenced weapon, brother," requesting help in procuring the weapon he would use in the assassination.
THEY PLANNED TO KILL THEIR FATHERS AND MARRY THEIR MOTHERS TO OTHERS
In the 138-page indictment, it was stated that the terrorists Lütfi Sordabak, Haşem Sordabak, Mehmet Cami Sordabak, and Musa Sordabak, who were killed in the conflict where 3 police officers were martyred in Yalova, declared their brothers M. Ş. S. (34), A. S. (23), C. S. (26), and their father M. S. as 'taghut' and infidels, forcibly detaining their mother S. S., whom they wanted to separate from their fathers, and opened fire on M. S., who went to take his wife along with his sons C. S. and A. S. It was also noted in the indictment that the ISIS terrorist organization members planned to kill their fathers and did not see their mothers as 'infidels', intending to marry them off to someone from the organization.
"THEY THREATENED TO KILL US AND SAID THEY WOULD TAKE OUR HEADS"
In the indictment, which included the statement given by father M. S. as a complainant, it was learned that mother S. S. also stated, "Their other brothers started to say that my father and I were infidels, and when they seized power, they would either be with them or, if not, they would threaten to kill us and take our heads. Many times, these issues were discussed in the family environment, and fights broke out among the brothers because of these ideas. Despite their other brothers telling them that this path was wrong, my children Musa, Mehmet Cami, Lütfi, and Haşem did not give up their statements and thoughts and continued to go to this Morality and Sunnah Magazine and participate in their discussions."
THE PROSECUTOR REQUESTED THE IMPRISONMENT OF 17 SUSPECTS FOR MEMBERSHIP IN A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
In the indictment, it was stated that all suspects except Filiz S. (32) committed the crime of 'membership in an armed terrorist organization' by adopting the actions and activities of the ISIS terrorist organization and operating in line with the organization's ideology. It was requested that 17 suspects be sentenced to imprisonment from 10 to 40 years for the crimes of 'membership in an armed terrorist organization', 'deliberately depriving a relative by blood of their liberty', 'attempting to deliberately kill a relative by blood', and 'purchasing, carrying, or possessing firearms and ammunition without a license.'
OBJECTIONS TO THE ACQUITTAL DECISIONS OF THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE WERE NOT ACCEPTED
In the decision hearing held in the Yalova 2nd High Criminal Court in October 2025, 15 of the 18 suspects, including Lütfi Sordabak, Haşem Sordabak, Mehmet Cami Sordabak, Musa Sordabak, and Zafer Umutlu, who martyred 3 police officers, were acquitted of the charge of 'membership in an armed terrorist organization'. On the other hand, it was learned that Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor Duygu Bayar Öksüz filed separate objections to the decisions made, but the objections were not accepted.
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