Istanbul court arrests 5 suspects in relation to Falyalı’s murder

A local court in Istanbul has ruled for the arrest of five suspects, including the leaders of a notorious crime ring, believed to be involved in the assassination of Turkish Cypriot casino-owner Halil Falyalı.

Main suspect Mustafa Söylemez, his brother Mehmet Faysal Söylemez and three others were arrested as part of the investigation launched in Turkey after Falyalı was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Turkish Cyprus.

Three other suspects, who were earlier detained in three separate raids between Feb. 9 and 17, were released under judicial control.

The name of Söylemez was often mentioned in a series of murders, shootings and other mafia-related crimes that were committed in the 1990s and whose perpetrators were "mostly" not found.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot Police Head Ahmet Soyalan said in a press conference that three suspects were also arrested by Turkish Cypriot authorities as part of their investigation.

He noted that authorities confirmed the use of two Kalashnikov automatic rifles, four cartridges, 39 bullets, a 9 mm handgun and 13 bullets, which were found in a creek located roughly a kilometer west of the crime scene.

Falyalı, a well-known figure in the Turkish Cypriot business community, was being driven home by a chauffeur, Murat Demirtaş, when men with long-barreled weapons attacked the car he was in at the entrance to Çatalköy town of Kyrenia (Girne) on Feb. 8.

While Demirtaş died at the scene, Falyalı succumbed to his wounds in the hospital where he was taken to.