The hearing at the Istanbul 35th High Criminal Court was attended by the complainants Galip Usta, Bilal Erdem, and Yusufcan İslam, along with their lawyers, while the detained defendant Ömer Salgın did not attend, having submitted an excuse.
Taking the floor, complainant Imam Galip Usta stated that he was on duty at the mosque on the day of the incident, explaining that he saw a shadow at the door of the imam's room and that the defendant wanted to ask him something.
Stating that he did not feel being stabbed at that moment, and that when he realized it, he tried to push the defendant away with his feet to defend himself, Usta said that Bilal Erdem tried to intervene, but the defendant stabbed him as well.
'I HAVE BEEN ON MEDICAL LEAVE FOR 5 MONTHS'
Stating that he also had knife wounds below his knees and that he did not know the defendant, Usta said, "When I stood up after leading the evening prayer, I heard a voice. Sometimes voices are heard after prayers. I remember that voice; as an imam, I didn't say anything. I heard one of the muezzins say, 'Instead of criticizing Muslims, criticize Israel.' My voice is gone, and I have been on medical leave for five months. If the knife had gone one centimeter higher, I would have died from blood loss. I am a complainant."
'I STAYED IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 5 DAYS'
Complainant Bilal Erdem said, "As soon as the defendant opened the door to the imam's room, he said, 'Can I ask something?' and immediately grabbed the imam by the neck. He attempted to kill him. Although I tried to intervene from behind, he stabbed our imam. I tried to pull him back, but he stabbed me with his free hand at that moment. I stayed in the hospital for 5 days. I am a complainant."
During the hearing, the testimony of the defendant's father, Hüseyin Salgın, was taken as a witness via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS).
Claiming that his son's eating and sleeping patterns had deteriorated in the days before the incident, Salgın said the following:
"He was in a very bad state. On the evening of January 7, he went to his partner's house. They argued and fought. He came home that evening and went to his room again without saying anything. On the day of the incident, he left the house at noon. In the evening, police teams called and explained the incident. Police had also come to the door. He used to attend a religious community. He was not going to formations like political parties. I don't think the community gave any direction. We could not prevent our son from reaching this point."
Announcing its interim decision, the court panel ruled that the detention of the defendant Ömer Salgın should continue.
Deciding to hear the defendant in the next session, the panel adjourned the trial to July 3 to allow for the completion of missing procedures.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
At Fatih Mosque on January 8, the defendant Ömer Salgın, who caused a disturbance during prayer, was removed from the mosque by private security guards. The defendant, who entered the imam's room after the prayer and stated that he wanted to speak with Galip Usta, stabbed the imam and Bilal Erdem, a member of the congregation who tried to intervene.
While Ömer Salgın was taken into custody by police teams, Usta and Erdem were taken to the hospital for treatment.
After his procedures at the police station, Ömer Salgın was referred to the courthouse and arrested on the charge of "attempted intentional murder."
In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Imam Galip Usta's statement is included, where he states that he did not know the defendant and that after leading the obligatory part of the evening prayer on the day of the incident, while preparing to lead the sunnah prayer, someone from the back rows shouted loudly, "O Muslims, wake up from the sleep of heedlessness."
Stating that he did not engage with the person shouting and continued the prayer, Usta explained that he did not understand what the defendant, whose voice he heard, was saying, and that after the prayer, security guards removed the defendant from the mosque.
Usta stated that he then went to the imam's room inside the mosque and started a lesson with his students Bilal Erdem, Yusuf Mumcu, and Yusufcan İslam, and when the defendant suddenly entered the room after a while, he said, "Go ahead, what will you ask?", and that the defendant, who did not answer him, hit him in the chest, causing him to fall into the chair.
Stating that he was stabbed despite trying to stop the defendant, Usta noted that at that moment, Bilal Erdem and Yusuf Mumcu in the room tried to intervene, and Yusufcan İslam tried to remove the individual.
The indictment states that according to the medical report, the injuries of complainants Galip Usta and Bilal Erdem were of a nature that could not be healed by simple medical intervention and posed a danger to their lives, and that the injury of complainant Yusufcan İslam involved a fracture and could not be healed by simple medical intervention.
The indictment requests that defendant Ömer Salgın be sentenced to 18 to 30 years in prison for "attempted intentional murder" against Galip Usta and Bilal Erdem, and 1.5 to 4.5 years in prison for "intentional injury" against Yusufcan İslam.
News Source: AA
