Family of ISIS terrorist will not claim his body

The family of Zafer Umutlu, an ISIS member killed in an armed clash in Yalova that resulted in the martyrdom of three police officers, has drawn attention with their stance. Speaking after the incident, his uncle Metin Umutlu stated that his nephew had been estranged from the family since he first made contact with the organization. The uncle reported that the family, suspicious of Umutlu's behavior days before the attack, had contacted the police.

Stating that Zafer Umutlu had moved to Yalova approximately six years ago, his uncle pointed out that significant changes occurred in his personality after he established contact with the organization. The uncle said that in an incident within the family 1.5 years ago, his nephew had eloped and married, but they did not attend the wedding, noting that a large number of organization members were present at the wedding hall.

Explaining that his family had tried to persuade Zafer Umutlu to surrender to the police on the day of the incident, Metin Umutlu shared their final communication with these words: “I practically begged him. I tried very hard to persuade him. I said, ‘Don’t do this, don’t fire bullets at your state, at your police.’ I told him to surrender. He said, ‘I cannot go behind iron bars.’ He did not accept.”

The uncle stated that they could not understand how his nephew found such courage, nor the source of his weapons training or the weapons themselves. Conveying his condolences for the police officers who lost their lives in the attack, Metin Umutlu said, “Those bullets fired at the police were also fired at us. Our hearts are burning.”

Stating that the family came together after the attack, Metin Umutlu announced that they would not claim Zafer Umutlu’s body: “Neither I nor my family will claim this body. We will never take it. If you fire bullets at my state and my police, I will not take your body.”