Turkey’s opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) MP, historian Yusuf Halacoglu stated that Erhan Tuncel, who was accused of prompting the murder of Hrant Dink—founder and chief editor of Agos Armenian weekly of Istanbul, who was killed on January 19, 2007 in front of the weekly’s office—, is Armenian.

Halacoglu, who is known for his statements denying the Armenian Genocide, claimed that Tuncel, who is in prison at present, is from Temte village of Turkey’s Elazig [Kharberd, in Armenian] Province, and he is of Armenian descent, reports Cihan news agency of Turkey.

“For this reason, it should be taken under consideration the fact that an Armenian has had a role in the killing of an Armenian. Now, I’m not saying its significance, but this should be taken seriously,” Yusuf Halacoglu noted.