Gülistan Doku investigation: Umut Altaş’s 34-page FBI statement revealed! He points to the location of the body

It has emerged that Umut Altaş, who is subject to an arrest warrant and is currently in the US following Turkey's extradition request, was interrogated by the FBI for two days as part of the Gülistan Doku investigation. It was stated that the 34-page transcript of Altaş's statement has been sent to Turkey within the scope of judicial assistance.

According to the transcript, Altaş explained that he saw Gülistan Doku being shot and killed by Mustafa Türkay Sonel inside a vehicle, that Doku's body was placed in the trunk, and that after the incident, Şükrü Eroğlu, the security detail for the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, intervened. Altaş also stated that after Eroğlu's involvement, he was told, "My father will handle this matter."

Altaş further alleged that Doku's body might have been buried near the Pertek road, that they returned to the area with the same vehicle after the incident, and that they checked for cameras. He also confirmed to FBI agents that he was present at the scene during the murder.

TWO-DAY INTERROGATION BY THE FBI

The transcript prepared by the FBI notes that the Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting an investigation into the Gülistan Doku case on charges of intentional homicide, aggravated sexual assault, deprivation of liberty, and destruction, concealment, or alteration of evidence.

It was stated that a total of 109 questions were prepared for Umut Altaş in the judicial assistance request sent by Turkish authorities to the US.

"DO YOU BELIEVE MUSTAFA TÜRKAY SONEL KILLED GÜLİSTAN?"

During the FBI interrogation, Altaş was also asked about his relationship with Mustafa Türkay Sonel. Altaş described Sonel's behavior toward him by saying, "He used me."

When FBI agents asked how Sonel used him, Altaş alleged that Sonel might have used him "to kill Gülistan Doku and pin the crime on me."

Upon this, FBI agents directly asked Altaş, "Do you believe Mustafa Türkay Sonel killed Gülistan Doku?" Altaş nodded and replied, "Yes."

When asked, "Why do you believe this?" he said it was because he saw it.

"GÜLİSTAN WAS IN THE BACK SEAT, HE PULLED OUT THE GUN AND SHOT HER"

According to the account Altaş provided to the FBI, the incident took place on January 5, 2020.

Altaş alleged that he and Mustafa Türkay Sonel went to the area where Gülistan Doku was, saw her by the bridge, and that the young woman later got into a BMW vehicle.

According to Altaş's statement, Mustafa Türkay Sonel was in the driver's seat, he was in the front passenger seat, and Gülistan Doku was in the back seat.

Stating that Doku said to them inside the vehicle, "Leave me alone, why are you following me?", Altaş claimed that after the argument, Doku began to scream.

Altaş alleged that after this, Mustafa Türkay Sonel pulled a black handgun from the glove compartment and shot Gülistan Doku.

When asked by FBI agents if he checked on Doku, Altaş, who also noted that there was a Turkish flag on the weapon, replied, "Yes." To the question, "Was she dead?" he answered, "Yes."

"WE MOVED THE BODY TO THE TRUNK"

Altaş alleged that after the shooting, he asked Mustafa Türkay Sonel why he killed Gülistan Doku.

Claiming that Sonel told him to be quiet and help move the body to the trunk, Altaş explained that he initially refused but later put Doku's body into the trunk of the BMW together with Sonel.

ALLEGATIONS REGARDING ŞÜKRÜ EROĞLU AFTER THE INCIDENT

In the statement Altaş gave to the FBI, there were also various allegations regarding Şükrü Eroğlu, the security detail for the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel.

Altaş alleged that after Gülistan Doku's body was placed in the trunk, Mustafa Türkay Sonel called Şükrü Eroğlu on the phone.

Stating that Sonel and Eroğlu spoke for about 15-20 minutes and that he was kept out of this conversation, Altaş alleged that Sonel later told him, "Shut up, don't mention this to anyone."

When Altaş said, "This matter won't just go away," he claimed that Sonel replied, "My father will handle this and make it disappear."

THE NEXT MORNING: "DON'T WORRY, WE HANDLED IT"

According to Altaş's account, Mustafa Türkay Sonel called him again the morning after the incident.

Altaş said he asked Sonel what happened and received the reply, "Don't worry, we handled it. Just don't tell anyone anything."

Stating that he later asked where Gülistan Doku's body was, Altaş told FBI agents that he asked Sonel, "Where did you bury it?"

PERTEK ROAD POINTED OUT FOR THE LOCATION OF THE BODY

One of the allegations in the FBI transcript concerns where Gülistan Doku's body might be.

According to Altaş's statement, Mustafa Türkay Sonel said the body was located about 15-20 minutes away from the scene in the direction of Pertek.

Altaş later corrected this distance to about 30 minutes. Explaining that the area was a dirt road and that a new road was being built at the time, Altaş alleged that the body might have been buried near the Pertek road, along the side of the newly constructed road.

However, Altaş also stated that this assessment was not based on something he saw himself, but was a guess he made based on information he received from Sonel.

THREE NAMES IN CELL TOWER AND LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION RECORDS

During the FBI interrogation, Umut Altaş was also shown narrowed-down cell tower records and License Plate Recognition System (PTS) data obtained by Turkish investigative authorities.

According to findings in the file, on January 5, 2020, at 22:09, Umut Altaş was in the vicinity of the Sarısaltuk Viaduct, where Gülistan Doku was last seen.

The same records state that Mustafa Türkay Sonel was in the same area between 22:08 and 22:37, and Şükrü Eroğlu was there at 22:08.

According to PTS records, the BMW used by Mustafa Türkay Sonel moved from Tunceli toward Elazığ at 22:17:51, with only Sonel in the vehicle.

When the vehicle returned toward Tunceli at 22:30:17, it was captured with Mustafa Türkay Sonel in the driver's seat and Umut Altaş in the front passenger seat.

FBI TO ALTAŞ: "WHY DID YOU RETURN TO THE BRIDGE WITH THE VEHICLE THE MURDER WAS COMMITTED IN?"

Upon the contradiction between the cell tower and PTS records and Altaş's initial account, FBI agents deepened the interrogation at this point.

Altaş eventually explained that after the incident, he got into the same BMW with Mustafa Türkay Sonel and went back to the bridge area.

FBI agents asked Altaş, "Why would you return to the bridge in the vehicle where someone was just killed?"

According to Altaş's account, Sonel explained the reason for this return by saying, "We are going there to see if there are any cameras."

ALLEGATION REGARDING CAMERA FOOTAGE

During the interrogation, the footage from the university camera overlooking the viaduct where Gülistan Doku was last seen was also brought up.

Altaş alleged that while they were returning to the bridge, Mustafa Türkay Sonel told him that the cameras would not be recording.

However, Altaş stated that he did not know by whom or by what method the camera footage in question was deleted.

"YOU KNOW MY POWER, I CAN KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY"

Altaş also alleged that he was threatened by Mustafa Türkay Sonel after the murder.

According to his statement, Sonel told him, "You know my power, I can kill you and your family."

Altaş also alleged that Sonel spoke by saying, "We are the state as a family, they can't do anything to us."

Stating that Sonel offered him money in exchange for his silence, Altaş claimed that he did not accept this offer, but that Sonel put money in his wallet anyway.

PREGNANCY AND ABORTION ALLEGATIONS WERE ALSO ASKED

One of the notable topics of the FBI interrogation was the allegations that Gülistan Doku was impregnated and forced to have an abortion.

Altaş said he had no direct knowledge of this. However, when the content of a previous conversation he had with his former employer Rüstem Keskin was read to him, a previous account he gave on this subject came up.

According to the records, Altaş had told Rüstem Keskin that Mustafa Türkay Sonel told him that Gülistan Doku had become pregnant, that he wanted her to have an abortion, that Doku did not accept this and screamed, and that upon this, Sonel killed Doku by shooting her once in the head.

FBI agents asked if these words belonged to him.

Altaş did not want to answer at first. Later, he admitted that these statements were his. However, he argued that he might have been guessing about the pregnancy and abortion and that he did not remember some details.

VIDEO THAT COULD BE WATCHED ONLY ONCE: DISMEMBERED BODY ALLEGATION

Another topic in the FBI file was the WhatsApp video that Altaş told his former employer about.

According to the interrogation transcript, Altaş had previously explained that Mustafa Türkay Sonel sent him a video via WhatsApp that could be watched only once, and that he saw a dismembered body in the footage.

In the FBI interrogation, Altaş confirmed that the video was sent to him and that the person who sent it was Mustafa Türkay Sonel.

Stating that the video lasted a few seconds and that a person was holding body parts in the footage, Altaş argued that he could not definitively determine whether the body in the footage belonged to Gülistan Doku.

FBI agents reminded him of his previous statement that he told his former employer the person in the video was Gülistan Doku.

Altaş admitted that these words were also his, but alleged that he could not see the image clearly.

91ST QUESTION: "WERE YOU THERE DURING THE MURDER?"

One of the most critical parts of the two-day interrogation occurred at the 91st question.

FBI agents reminded Altaş of his statements in his conversation with his former boss that implied he was with Mustafa Türkay Sonel during the murder.

Then, Altaş was explicitly asked, "Were you with Mustafa Türkay Sonel and Gülistan Doku when Gülistan Doku was killed? Did you personally witness the event?"

Altaş's answer was recorded in the FBI transcript as "Yes to all."

FBI agents then asked Altaş again, taking into account the contradictory statements he gave throughout the two-day interrogation, whether his account of being at the scene during the murder was valid.

Altaş confirmed that he was at the scene.

MESSAGE HE SENT TO HIS FATHER: "STOP ACTING, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SILENCED ME"

One of the striking pieces of evidence in the investigation file was a WhatsApp message found on the phone of Umut Altaş's father, Celal Altaş.

During the phone examination, it was determined that Umut Altaş sent a message to his father saying, "Stop acting. You were the one who silenced me."

FBI agents asked Altaş about this message.

Altaş admitted that he sent the message. However, he had difficulty explaining why he used these expressions and said he did not remember.

FBI agents stated that the message could mean that Altaş was silenced due to the Gülistan Doku incident and that his father played a role in his being sent to the US.

Altaş first said that the decision to go to the US was his own. In the later part of the interrogation, he replied, "It was everyone's idea."

Altaş explained that he flew from Istanbul to Mexico on May 25, 2022, and later crossed the US border.

Stating that about 10 thousand dollars were paid to a Mexican citizen in order to cross the US border illegally, Altaş stated that this money was paid directly to the relevant person by his father in Tunceli.

DECEMBER 27, 2019 YOUTH CENTER MEETING

Events alleged to have occurred before Gülistan Doku's disappearance were also addressed in the FBI interrogation.

According to the narrowed-down cell tower study conducted by Turkish authorities, information that Umut Altaş and Gülistan Doku were in the same location around the Youth Center between 15:31 and 16:22 on December 27, 2019, was put to Altaş.

Altaş said that he, Mustafa Türkay Sonel, and possibly Gülistan Doku might have been in that area.

He described a girl walking, Mustafa Türkay Sonel following this person, the two entering the building, and coming out about 15 minutes later.

When FBI agents asked if the girl in question could be Gülistan Doku, Altaş replied, "It could be possible."

Altaş did not confirm the secret witness's allegations that drugs were used at the Youth Center and that Gülistan Doku was sexually assaulted.

ACCUSATION AGAINST THE THEN-GOVERNOR AT THE END OF THE INTERROGATION

At the end of the two-day interrogation, FBI agents asked Umut Altaş if these were all he knew about Gülistan Doku.

Altaş replied, "Yes."

Then, alleging that the investigation was not conducted fairly, Altaş accused the then-Tunceli Governor of covering up the incident and not handing his son over to justice.

A significant technical detail was also included in the 34-page FBI file.

The FBI specifically stated at the beginning of the report and in the section describing the second day that Altaş's statements were not a verbatim transcript. According to the report, the transcript was prepared by FBI agents summarizing what was told during the interview.

ALTAŞ'S STATEMENT REACHED TURKEY

The two-day statement Umut Altaş gave to the FBI in the US has reached the file of judicial authorities in Turkey within the scope of judicial assistance.

Among the accounts in the 34-page transcript, Altaş's confirmation that he was in the vehicle and at the scene during the murder, the allegation that Gülistan Doku was shot inside the vehicle, and his account that her body was moved to the trunk of the BMW stood out.

Altaş also explained that Şükrü Eroğlu intervened after the incident, that Mustafa Türkay Sonel told him "my father will handle this," that the body might have been buried near the Pertek road, and that they returned to the bridge area with the same BMW after the murder.

The allegation regarding camera footage, the threats he said were directed at him, the pregnancy and abortion allegations he told his former employer about, the dismembered body video he said was sent via WhatsApp, and the "You were the one who silenced me" message he sent to his father are also among the topics included in the transcript.

News Source: 12punto