06.09.2026 14:00
The 34-page statement given to the FBI by Umut Altaş, who has an arrest warrant in the Gülistan Doku investigation and whose extradition from the US has been requested, has been sent to Turkey. Altaş claimed that he saw Doku being shot and killed in a vehicle by Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, and that he helped carry the body to the trunk. In response to the FBI's questions about whether he personally witnessed the incident, Altaş answered 'Yes to all.'
Striking allegations that could change the course of the file years later have been made in the Gülistan Doku investigation. It has emerged that Umut Altaş, for whom an arrest warrant was issued and whose extradition from the US to Turkey was requested, was interrogated by the FBI for two days and that his 34-page statement was sent to Turkey.
It was stated that in his statement to FBI officials, Altaş claimed to have directly witnessed what happened to Gülistan Doku.
"MUSTAFA TÜRKAY SONEL SHOT HER"
In his statement to the FBI, Altaş alleged that he saw Gülistan Doku being shot and killed by Mustafa Türkay Sonel inside a vehicle.
According to Altaş's account, the incident did not end there. Altaş, who claimed that he helped carry Gülistan Doku's body to the trunk of the vehicle, also provided striking details about what happened after the incident.
"WE CARRIED THE BODY TO THE TRUNK"
Altaş claimed that after Gülistan Doku was shot, he helped carry the body to the trunk. Altaş alleged that they then returned to the bridge area in the same vehicle, and stated that their purpose in returning was to check whether there was any camera in the vicinity that might have recorded the incident.
FBI ASKED: WERE YOU A DIRECT WITNESS TO THE INCIDENT?
It was stated that FBI officials asked direct questions to clarify whether Altaş's account was based on direct witness testimony.
The record includes that FBI officials asked, "Were you there when Gülistan Doku was killed, did you personally witness the incident?" and that Altaş answered, "Yes to all."
ALLEGATION: "MY FATHER WILL HANDLE THIS"
Another striking allegation in Altaş's statement concerned the aftermath of the incident. Altaş alleged that Şükrü Eroğlu, the bodyguard of the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, stepped in after the incident.
Altaş also claimed that Mustafa Türkay Sonel told him after the incident, "My father will handle this."
34-PAGE STATEMENT IN TURKEY
The sending to Turkey of the 34-page statement of Umut Altaş, who was interrogated by the FBI in the US for two days, has turned attention once again to the fate of Gülistan Doku in the investigation.
Altaş's claims that he personally witnessed the murder and helped carry the body constitute one of the most serious allegations in the file, while it is important to note that the accusations in the statement are Umut Altaş's own statements and must be evaluated by the judicial authorities.