Security cameras: The police's greatest assistant

Whether it is a criminal case or a terrorist incident, the first thing police look for when called to a crime scene is a security camera. Because if a camera exists and is recording, solving the incident becomes much easier. In this week's article, I will try to explain the importance of security cameras to you through two recent attacks.

Security cameras not only prove useful in catching those who commit crimes but also play a major role in solving incidents. One of our examples is the case of taxi driver Oğuz Erge, who was murdered by a sadistic killer who got into his vehicle. In İzmir, taxi driver Oğuz Erge was shot and killed by Delil Aysal, whom he had picked up so he wouldn't get cold. Before getting out of the vehicle and fleeing, Aysal even collected the empty shell casings from the back seat. This attacker, who didn't even leave a fingerprint, was caught thanks to the taxi's camera footage and subsequent footage from street cameras. Security cameras, which have helped solve numerous incidents as listed above, also played a major role in the apprehension of the suspects behind the recent long-barreled weapon and handgun attack in Kanarya, Küçükçekmece.

I have now written down the details of that attack and the security camera factor in the incident for you. On February 10, 2024, in the Kanarya neighborhood of Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, 4 attackers arrived in a vehicle without license plates and opened fire with long-barreled weapons and handguns. During the attack, Ebru Güneş Dumlu, who was walking on the street, was shot in the head and seriously injured. At the time of the attack, AK Party's Küçükçekmece Mayoral Candidate Aziz Yeniay was conducting election campaign activities at an association building. Initial reports suggested that this attack was directed at the mayoral candidate. It was even written that there might be a connection to a terrorist organization.

Following this attack, the Küçükçekmece District Police Department teams arrived at the scene and began examining the surrounding security camera footage. Subsequently, the Public Security Branch, Counter-Terrorism, and Intelligence branch teams also arrived at the scene to support the efforts. Security cameras, which are useful in solving incidents, eased the police's work in this case as well. In the footage, the model and color of the vehicle without license plates used in the attack were first determined. Then, police began to track the camera footage street by street. It was observed that the attackers, fleeing from the scene of the attack, went through the train station area, via Yarımburgaz, and around the Olympic Stadium to Başakşehir Kayabaşı. After the last point where it was seen, the vehicle without license plates provided no further footage. Teams conducting research in that area found the abandoned vehicle with its license plates attached.

While the police were conducting fingerprint analysis on one hand, it was revealed through a license plate inquiry that the vehicle was registered to a rental company in Avcılar. The teams immediately went to the business where the rental was made. However, it turned out that the attackers did not rent the vehicle under their own names. Consequently, the first detention was of the owner of the rental business. Afterward, by asking who he had given the vehicle to, the other detentions followed one after another, like unraveling a knot. Thanks to security cameras, the identities of all 4 attackers were determined just a few hours after the attack. In the operations carried out by the police, 26 people were detained, including 4 under the age of 18, among whom were the 2 individuals who were in the vehicle during the attack.

It was learned that 2 of the attackers among those detained stated in their testimonies that they carried out the attack against a person with whom they had a drug-related feud. It was also revealed in the GPS logs of the rental vehicle that the 4 attackers rented the car after receiving news that the person they had a feud with was in the Kanarya neighborhood of Küçükçekmece, and that they searched for the person in the Kanarya neighborhood after removing the license plates. The attackers, who circled the area a few times, began firing from inside the vehicle with long-barreled weapons and handguns when they saw their rival emerging in front of the association. As a result of the fire opened by the attackers, who did not drive the vehicle in front of the association, Ebru Güneş Dumlu, who was walking on the street, was also wounded in the head.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also made a statement regarding the suspects referred to the Küçükçekmece Courthouse. In the statement made by the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that the attack was evaluated as an assassination attempt against Küçükçekmece Mayoral Candidate Aziz Yeniay, noting that "the suspects were specifically waiting for Aziz Yeniay to exit the association but carried out the attack beforehand due to a timing error." The statement made by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also said that as a result of the examination of security camera footage, it was determined that the suspects communicated by phone before the attack and moved between streets while waiting for Aziz Yeniay to exit the association. It was learned that the detained suspects involved in the attack denied the accusations of an assassination attempt against the mayoral candidate.

The statement made by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office investigating the incident also drew attention to the security camera footage. So, what can we say? In every kind of incident, the police's greatest assistant is the security camera...