21.08.2026 18:50
Former Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin has made his first statement after a vehicle registered in his name was found in the operation against the Suleymancilar, in which fugitives Hilmi Tuna Kuris and Erhan Yilmaz were caught. Confirming that the vehicle was rented in his name, Sahin stated that he was unaware of the two suspects using the car, saying, 'It was used without my knowledge and consent.' Sahin also announced that he filed a criminal complaint against the owner of the company from which the car was rented.
Following the operation against the structure known as “Süleymancılar,” the first statement came from İdris Naim Şahin after it was revealed that the vehicle in which fugitives Hilmi Tuna Kuriş and Erhan Yılmaz were caught was registered in the name of the former Minister of Interior, İdris Naim Şahin.
Şahin, who admitted to renting the vehicle, stated that the vehicle was used without his knowledge and permission and announced that he had filed a criminal complaint against the owner of the rental company, Mehmet Özmen.
“I DON'T KNOW ANY OF THEM” Alihan Kuriş's fugitive brother Hilmi Tuna Kuriş and Erhan Yılmaz were caught in an operation while trying to flee abroad. When it was determined that the vehicle used by the two suspects was rented in the name of former Minister of Interior İdris Naim Şahin, attention turned to Şahin.
Speaking to Halk TV on the matter, Şahin said he did not know Alihan Kuriş, Hilmi Tuna Kuriş, or Erhan Yılmaz.
Şahin said, “I do not know Mr. Alihan, Hilmi Tuna Kuriş, or Erhan Yılmaz at all. I have never encountered them in my life. I only know them as much as those who listen from the screens are aware of.”
Former Minister of Interior İdris Naim Şahin “USED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE AND PERMISSION” Stating that he has known the owner of the company from which he rented the vehicle, Mehmet Özmen, for about 10-15 years, Şahin said he lives in Ankara and uses the vehicle in question when he goes to Istanbul.
Şahin stated that the vehicle could also be used by his guests from time to time and that he learned from the news how the fugitive suspects used the vehicle.
Şahin said, “I do not know Hilmi Tuna Kuriş, but I have known Mehmet Özmen for 10-15 years. He is someone I have met at various meetings. He is the owner of a car rental company. I generally live in Ankara. It is a vehicle I use in Istanbul or a vehicle I let my guests use. As far as I learned from the news, it was used without my knowledge and permission.”
CRIMINAL COMPLAINT ABOUT THE RENTAL COMPANY Şahin stated that the vehicle was used without his knowledge and permission and announced that he had filed a criminal complaint against the owner of the rental company, Mehmet Özmen.
Şahin's statement drew attention as the first assessment regarding why the vehicle in which the fugitive suspects were caught was rented in his name.
CAUGHT IN MUĞLA The police units, who traced the vehicle with plate 34 SL 313 that carried the fugitives Hilmi Tuna Kuriş and Erhan Yılmaz, caught red-handed in the Bozburun town of the Marmaris district of Muğla, made a shocking discovery. It was determined that the vehicle in question was officially allocated until 2030 in the name of former Minister of Interior and İYİ Party Ordu 1st rank parliamentary candidate, İdris Naim Şahin.
CAUTIOUS BREAK AT FUEL STATION According to the examinations in the investigation file; it was detected that the luxury vehicle allocated in the name of İdris Naim Şahin took fuel from a fuel station in the Kozpınar area of the Selçuk district of Izmir on 16 August 2026. Examining the License Plate Recognition System (PTS) and security camera images, the teams determined that the vehicle was driven by Mehmet Özmen. In the images, Mehmet Özmen is seen getting out of the vehicle to take fuel, but the fugitive suspects in the back seat never got out of the vehicle as a precaution to avoid being caught. It was determined that Özmen returned to Istanbul with the same vehicle immediately after dropping the fugitives off in Muğla.
CUT OFF SIGNAL TO MISLEAD POLICE One of the most critical details in the investigation was the professional method used by the driver Mehmet Özmen to lose his trail. It was understood that Özmen turned off his GSM line on 16 August at around 12:31 and kept his phone off throughout the round trip route. After the vehicle allocated to İdris Naim Şahin entered the ViaPort License Plate Recognition System (PTS) records at 15:05 on the same day, it was detected that Özmen reactivated his phone line, which he had kept off, on 17 August at 11:05 (in line with the ViaPort PTS record) after arriving in Istanbul.
ALLOCATED VEHICLE AT THE CENTER OF THE INVESTIGATION How and by whom the VIP vehicle, allocated in the name of former Minister of Interior İdris Naim Şahin until 2030, was provided to the fugitives of the criminal organization constituted the most critical part of the investigation.