ISTANBUL. – The father of Yasin Hayal, who is charged with instigating the murder of chief editor Hrant Dink of Istanbul’s Agos weekly, made a shocking revelation to news reporters.    

Coming out of the courtroom, after the next hearing on Dink’s murder trial, Yasin Hayal’s father, Bahattin Hayal, stated that an intelligence captain serving in Mardin city had sent him a message, several days after Dinks murder, and congratulated him for having such son. Bahattin Hayal also informed that, when he had given testimony to Trabzon City Police Department on Dink’s murder, the head of Police Force’s Department on Fight Against Terrorism had said: “Yasin is also one of us. He is someone working for the state. Yasin will be released soon. This state needs people like Yasin.” Bahattin Hayal also stressed that he had spoken about this to the prosecutor in the murder case, but he was forced not to say anything about it, Zaman daily of Turkey writes.            

To note, Ogun Samast, who is charged with Hrant Dink’s murder, had said in his testimony that Yasin Hayal had given him instructions to kill Dink