Soylu issues harsh statement following Northern Cyprus allegations: 'Notice to the dishonorable...'

Former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has responded with harsh language to allegations made by Cemil Önal regarding the murder of casino operator Halil Falyalı in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

In a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Soylu said the following:

"Notice to the Dishonorable:

The vile rumors, which are 'too indecent to even be mentioned,' systematically spread for the purpose of slander and defamation against someone who has served his state and nation with honor in this country; who, throughout his tenure, has fought without fear against terrorism, drugs, virtual gambling, and all kinds of criminal networks extending from America to England, are an act of revenge by those who cannot stomach this struggle. Everyone who makes, spreads, or promotes these slanders is dishonorable.

Do not confuse us with yourselves.

If we cannot show courage against dishonorable, thieving, immoral, murderous criminal networks…

Shame on our manhood, shame on our character!

I am addressing those who have been systematically slandering and defaming at every opportunity for years, and those who are trying to divert the target in an effort to cover up today's corruption:

Our state, with all its institutions and in full cooperation with TRNC authorities, solved a murder committed in Northern Cyprus in a very short time and referred it to the judicial authorities. We called those who constantly repeat the imaginary slanders put forward a year ago by the number one suspect of this murder—who fled to another country, for whom a red notice was issued, and whose extradition is awaited—'operation children,' and we were proven right.

It is cowardice for these individuals, who have become puppets of all kinds of foreign intelligence, not to present any documents, information, or evidence they may have, regardless of the subject.

We will never allow the criminals we are pursuing to damage the reputation of our state and those who serve this state. Those who spread these lies and slanders will be held accountable in the most severe way before the law.

You cannot splash your rot and corruption onto us with mudslinging.

Final word:

We did not find our honor on the street.

Let everyone know that I will be after these dishonorable people until the end of my life."

Namussuzlara Duyurulur:

Bu ülkede, devletine ve milletine şerefle hizmet etmiş; görev süresi boyunca terörle, uyuşturucuyla, sanal kumarla ve Amerika’dan İngiltere’ye kadar uzanan her türlü suç şebekesiyle hiçbir şeyden korkmadan mücadele etmiş birine yönelik, iftira ve karalama…

— Süleyman Soylu (@suleymansoylu) April 21, 2025

WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

Cemil Önal, who is alleged to have managed the financial organizations of Halil Falyalı—who was murdered in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on February 8, 2022—and who was among the murder suspects, fled to the Netherlands following the incident. Turkey stated that Önal was "one of the brains" behind the Falyalı assassination and issued an arrest warrant for him via Interpol. However, Önal, who was detained in the Netherlands in December 2023, was not extradited to Turkey.

Önal became a whistleblower by providing a total of 120 pages of testimony to Dutch and US intelligence units and was released. Maintaining his silence since that date, Önal recently spoke to Ayşemden Akın, Editor-in-Chief of the Bugün Kıbrıs newspaper. In the interview, Önal claimed that Halil Falyalı had bribed the then-Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, and further alleged that Falyalı possessed 45 tapes and that negotiations were underway to have these tapes brought under state control through Hakan Fidan.