Captured while wounded: Testimony of the wife of terrorist Onur Çelik, who attacked the consulate, has emerged

The number of detainees in the investigation launched following the clash in front of the building housing the Israeli Consulate in Beşiktaş has risen to 13.

New details have emerged regarding the investigation into the terrorist attack, in which 2 police officers were injured, 1 attacker was killed, and 2 attackers were neutralized while wounded.

Journalist İsmail Saymaz shared the testimony of Cansel Çelik, the wife of the wounded attacker Onur Çelik, in his article on Halk TV.

“HE SAID ‘I WILL WAGE JIHAD,’ I DIDN’T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY THINKING IT WAS THE DRUGS”

In her testimony, Cansel Çelik explained that her husband had been using drugs for a long time and had become noticeably radicalized in the last month. Çelik stated that her husband had increased his rhetoric about “jihad,” but that she did not take these words seriously, attributing them to the influence of drugs.

In her statement, she also mentioned that she had been left by her husband with their two children at her family's home in Konya before the attack, and that she had reacted to her husband bringing the brothers Ahmet and Murat İmrak into their home during this period. She also said that she had lived in fear for a long time due to her husband's drug addiction, and that she could not leave him despite wanting to.

Cansel Çelik also stated that her husband had turned toward obtaining weapons in connection with the İmrak brothers and planned to enter this business by selling his vehicle. Despite all these developments, she expressed that she could not have foreseen the possibility of an armed action.

The relevant part of Saymaz's article is as follows: 

Cansel Çelik is the wife of one of the attackers, Onur Çelik.

They have been married for five years.

They have two children.

Onur Çelik works in vehicle wrapping.

Cansel says the following about her husband:

“I learned that he used drugs after we got married. He usually used meth (methamphetamine). When he used it, he wouldn't come home for 1-1.5 days. When he came back, he would say he regretted using drugs and apologize.”

Cansel Çelik states that her husband did not go to the mosque, did not vote, and had been radicalized for a month, providing the following information:

“He had religious extremism for a month. He had started making statements at home like ‘I will wage jihad.’ Thinking it was due to the stimulants he used, I didn't pay much attention. When I asked ‘How is jihad waged,’ he said that there should be no one left behind to cry for you and that there should be two commanders at the head who have seen war. I didn't take it seriously.”

…

Ahmet İmrak had sent photos of weapons to her husband. Cansel Çelik speaks as follows:

“I reacted to the fact that Ahmet and Murat İmrak did not work and were taking money from my husband. My husband told me he wanted to trade in weapons. I opposed it. I warned him in harsh language because I was afraid of the possibility that he would sell his vehicle and use the money to trade in weapons.”

Çelik claims she had no knowledge of the weapons used.

She views the consulate action not as jihad, but as a terrorist attack.

Çelik says the following:

“My husband is a drug addict. Despite trying many times, I could not leave him for fear that he would harm me, my children, and himself. For the last month, I fought with him because of his extremist religious views and his shared ideas with his friends. Because we had incidents where he would search the house for no reason while under the influence of drugs, asking ‘Is there someone here?’ and checking the rooms, I did not take his jihad rhetoric seriously, even though he was an extremist. I did not think he would carry out an armed action. If I had thought so, I would have stopped him and told the police. I do not support the action. I truly have no involvement.”

“My husband is a drug addict. Despite trying many times, I could not leave him for fear that he would harm me, my children, and himself. For the last month, I fought with him because of his extremist religious views and his shared ideas with his friends. Because we had incidents where he would search the house for no reason while under the influence of drugs, asking ‘Is there someone here?’ and checking the rooms, I did not take his jihad rhetoric seriously, even though he was an extremist. I did not think he would carry out an armed action. If I had thought so, I would have stopped him and told the police. I do not support the action. I truly have no involvement.”