June 28, 2016•Update: July 01, 2016
By Cankut Tasdan, Sertac Bulur, Cemil Murat Budak and Ismet Karakas
ANKARA
A second suspect was arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of Ossama Elshamy, an Anadolu Agency English-language editor killed in Ankara earlier this month.
In a statement, police identified the suspect as Ahmet A., 22, and said he had been wanted over Elshamy’s death.
After giving testimony, the suspect was referred by Ankara Public Prosecutor Tansel Unal to a criminal court, where he will face a charge of premeditated murder.
Judge Sezer Soylemez ruled that the suspect be remanded in custody pending further investigation.
Last week, Ankara police detained Hasan Anil Y., 25, over his suspected involvement in Elshamy’s death.
Hasan Anil Y. initially told police that he and a friend driving through a southwestern district of Ankara on June 5 when they saw Elshamy. He said both he and his friend had consumed alcohol and drugs.
He added that they lured Elshamy into the car before an argument broke out, during which a gun was produced, prompting Elshamy to try to escape from the vehicle.
It remains unclear if Ahmet A. is the friend described in the first suspect’s testimony.
Elshamy, 31, was found lying unconscious in the middle of a road hours later and was admitted to Ankara’s Numune Hospital, where doctors said he had suffered a serious head injury, most likely the result of a blow to the head.
He never regained consciousness and died on June 14.
