Suspect in Halil Falyalı murder arrested
A person identified as the perpetrator of the armed attack in Kyrenia last year, in which casino boss Halil Falyalı and his driver were killed, has been arrested in the Netherlands.
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In a statement from the Dutch police, it was reported that the suspect, who is suspected of committing a double murder in Northern Cyprus, was captured in an operation carried out earlier this week in the town of Zoetermeer, near The Hague.
EXPECTED TO BE EXTRADITED TO TURKEY
According to the police, the suspect carried out the attack on casino boss Halil Falyalı and his driver in Kyrenia on February 8, 2022. It was stated that the Dutch police, acting on a tip from Turkish law enforcement units, had been tracking the suspect and determined that he was attempting to settle in Zoetermeer. The suspect, who appeared before an investigating judge in The Hague on Wednesday afternoon, was arrested. The suspect is expected to be extradited to Turkey.
FALYALI HAD BEEN RELEASED A MONTH BEFORE THE MURDER
Falyalı, who was wanted on charges of detaining, assaulting, and forcibly making an employee at his casino sign a power of attorney over allegations that the employee had taken money from the safe without permission, surrendered on October 14, 2021, along with 3 other suspects.
Falyalı, who was held in custody for a time, was taken to Nicosia State Hospital on the grounds that he was suffering from a heart condition. During this period, sexually explicit footage that he claimed belonged to certain Cypriot politicians and business people surfaced in the public eye.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
In the incident that took place in Çatalköy, Kyrenia, the vehicle in which Halil Falyalı was traveling was sprayed with automatic gunfire. Falyalı, who was ambushed near his home and struck by 16 bullets, lost his life in the hospital to which he was taken in critical condition. Falyalı's driver, Murat Demirtaş, died at the scene. Following the incident, 6 people, including brothers Mehmet Faysal Söylemez and Mustafa Söylemez, were detained on grounds of being linked to the murder.
In the trial held at the Istanbul 36th High Criminal Court on October 12, two aggravated life sentences were requested for Mehmet Faysal Söylemez and Mustafa Söylemez for the crimes of "premeditated murder" and "establishing and managing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes."
The prosecutor requested that the defendants named Ender Yıldız, Abdurrahim Çelik, Cengiz Şener, and Metin Süs be sentenced to between 33 and 46 years in prison for the crimes of "aiding in a premeditated murder" and "membership in a criminal organization."
The case, in which the file of fugitive defendant Cemil Önal was separated, was adjourned to allow the defendants time to present their defense.
Halil Falyalı's name had come to the fore with allegations made in videos shared on social media by organized crime leader Sedat Peker.
Sedat Peker had claimed that Falyalı was at the center of the money traffic generated from drugs in Cyprus.
Falyalı's name was also linked to illegal betting. In a 2016 news report regarding an illegal betting operation in Turkey, it was stated that Falyalı "protected a betting gang that caused Turkey an annual loss of 12 billion dollars."