Father of HDP rally bombings suspect speaks out

The father of the suspect arrested over the charge of leading the twin blasts at the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) rally in the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r has spoken out on how his son had been deceived to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), news website Radikal reported on June 15.

The family of the suspect, an Alevi-Kurdish man identified as O.G., made multiple attempts to break their son's ties with ISIL, including an endeavor to meet with Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu as well as an attempt to cross over the Turkish-Syrian border to bring their son back.

The HDP rally bombing suspect had decided to go to Syria after he was inspired by the ideology of a person identified as M.G.D., who at the time had just been back to the southeastern province of Ad?yaman after traveling to Syria.

M.G.D traveled to Syria with his twin brother, identified as Ö.D., to join the jihadist group, according to a report published by Radikal on Sept. 29, 2013. 

O.G., M.G.D and three others went to Syria on Oct. 13, 2014, shortly after regional unrest following protests over the Turkish government's perceived inaction toward the jihadists' siege of Kobane soared on Oct. 6 and 7, 2014.

O.G.'s father said he doubted the attitudes of his son in early October last year and that O.G. associated with strange people, one of whom he said was M.G.D. 

He personally contacted the Ad?yaman Police Department, as he thought his son was going to Syria, he said. 

"The police took my son's testimony and released him," he said. 

His father said O.G disappeared on Oct. 13, 2014, and one of those who had gone with him had left a letter saying they had gone to Syria. 

"I contacted the police the same...