Istanbul court orders release of suspect in arson attack on Müjdat Gezen Arts Center

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul Court has ordered the release of a suspect in an arson attack on the Müjdat Gezen Arts and Culture Center in Istanbul’s Kadıköy district, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Mehmet Ali Aligül faces between one and nine years in prison on charges of causing property damage and threatening public safety with arson. A lawyer for the arts center, Celal Ülgen, said they did not object to Aligül’s release, noting that no one should be punished with pre-trial detention.

“Although we define this as a terrible situation, we do not have any objection to the release of the suspect. Detention is a precaution and there is no need to implement this. We do not want anyone to be punished with [pre-trial detention],” he said.

Ülgen also invited Aligül to the arts center for tea. The suspect said he would be happy to accept the invitation.

Aligül, a 39-year-old shuttle bus driver, was arrested on Feb. 24, a day after initially being released on probation in connection to the fire.

Aligül was identified as the assailant from video footage, prompting police to raid his address in the Sancaktepe district of Istanbul.

The suspect confessed to the attack in his first testimony, saying he staged the attack in reaction to Gezen’s alleged “insult” against the granddaughter of Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamit II.

“I did it as a reaction against Müjdat Gezen’s insult targeting the grandchild of Abdülhamit. I was also drunk at the time of the attack,” Aligül added.

After his release, Aligül said he did not regret what he had done, contrary to his testimonies to police and a prosecutor’s office, saying he was “not afraid of anybody.”

Aligül also denied that he was under the influence of alcohol while staging the attack.

Hours after his statement, the suspect was detained by police while he was on his way home. 

The theater academy was set alight in the early hours of Feb. 20. Police and fire department teams were dispatched to the scene after the attack, which caused damage to the building. 

Security footage at the entrance of the building showed a man pouring gasoline before setting the building alight.