02.09.2026 15:11
BBP Chairman Mustafa Destici made striking statements about the investigation into the helicopter crash in which his party's founding Chairman Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and those with him lost their lives. Saying, "The matter has now become clear," Destici argued that what happened was not an accident, stating, "Here, we are now talking about deliberate, planned, premeditated killing, a murder and an assassination."
Mustafa Destici, Chairman of the Grand Unity Party (BBP), stated regarding the investigation into the death of the party's founding Chairman Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, "Here, we are now talking about intentional, planned, premeditated killing, a murder and an assassination. The matter has now become clear. Today, we also very clearly and explicitly state that this process was an assassination, not an accident."
"WE NEVER CALLED THE MATTER AN ACCIDENT"
On the agenda of BBP Chairman Mustafa Destici was the death of the party's founding Chairman Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and 5 people accompanying him in a helicopter crash in Kahramanmaraş on March 25, 2009. Evaluating the judicial developments, Destici stated that the incident could now be considered an assassination. Noting that they had followed the investigation sensitively and decisively from the beginning, Destici said the following:
"We never called the matter an accident from the start. At the point we have reached today, we also welcome with appreciation the statements made by our Minister of Justice, Mr. Akın Gürlek, regarding the file. Here, we are now talking about intentional, planned, premeditated killing, a murder and an assassination. The matter has now become clear. Today, we also very clearly and explicitly state that this process was an assassination, not an accident. We know that this assassination and the crime of premeditated murder will be clearly revealed in the investigation conducted under the leadership of our Ministry by our Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, that the perpetrators will be found, the matter will be illuminated, and they will pay the price before the law."
WHAT HAPPENED?
On July 13, a detention decision was issued for 29 people on suspicion of participating in the crime of "premeditated murder" regarding the file. In an operation carried out by Organized Crime Branch Directorate teams at 30 addresses across 10 provinces centered in Ankara, 27 people were detained. Following their procedures, 19 people were arrested, and it was decided to release 8 people under judicial control conditions.
Additionally, in recent days, Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, who explained the latest status of Yazıcıoğlu's file, had pointed to FETÖ. Recalling that a few days before Yazıcıoğlu's death, a meeting of the organization's covert imams, including the pilot, was held in Elazığ, Gürlek said the following:
"Adil Öksüz attends this meeting, Kemal Batmaz attends this meeting. You know who Adil Öksüz is. He is one of the main responsible parties for the coup, and one day before the Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu murder, Adil Öksüz leaves Turkey. As you know, this also happened on July 15. There are actions highly connected to FETÖ. In particular, the pilot's wife's fingerprints were found in Adil Öksüz's house. It emerged that the pilot attended meetings in Elazığ with the covert imams, Adil Öksüz, and Kemal Batmaz. The first operation conducted regarding this, the first wave, is generally FETÖ. The organization members who carried out the action are related to military personnel. Our Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is working. The operation will probably deepen, and the investigation will deepen. We are following it to the end. Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu was truly a rare person raised by Turkey. I also liked him very much; he was a strong leader. Here, an investigation is being conducted that satisfies both the public conscience and we are trying to conduct one that satisfies the family's conscience. Wherever its end touches, we will go to the end. But at first glance, this appears to be an action carried out by FETÖ. Current findings indicate that."