Turkish authorities detained 25 suspects as part of a renewed investigation into the 2009 helicopter crash that killed ultranationalist leader Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said on July 13.
The police launched simultaneous operations across 10 provinces targeting 29 suspects, with 25 of them detained, Gürlek said.
Two were already in prison and another two were found to be abroad.
They are accused of establishing, leading or membership in an armed terrorist organization, as well as premeditated murder.
Those detained include military personnel, police officers and members of the official investigation team of the crash that killed Yazıcoğlu, the then-leader of the Great Union Party (BBP).
Describing the case as “one of the long-awaited files that has yet to be fully clarified,” Gürlek said the investigation was transferred from the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in the site of the crash to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on June 12.
Yazıcıoğlu is regarded as one of the foremost figures in Türkiye’s nationalist movement.
He died on March 25, 2009, when the helicopter carrying him and his entourage crashed into Mount Keş in the Göksun district of the southern province of Kahramanmaraş shortly after departing from a campaign rally in Çağlayancerit en route to the central province of Yozgat.
The incident sparked years of public debate over whether the crash was a tragic accident or a politically motivated assassination. Rescue teams located the wreckage and recovered the victims’ bodies 48 hours after the crash.
Initially centered on allegations of negligence and misconduct by public officials, the case was later revisited following claims regarding the roles of state officials and alleged links to the FETÖ terrorist organization.
In a statement on July 13, BBP Chairman Mustafa Destici said there had been repeated attempts over the years to have the case dismissed during both the investigation and trial phases.
He credited the party’s lawyers with keeping the case alive through their legal efforts, which ultimately led to it being reopened.
“Delayed justice should never mean abandoned justice,” Destici said in a post on social media.
