Turkish Airlines official killed in Somalia was suspect in Ergenekon trial

While the perpetrators and motives for the attack in which Turkish Airlines’ (THY) security chief was killed in Mogadishu remains unclear, detailed information about the life of Saadettin Doğan has been revealed.

Doğan was reportedly one of the suspects in the Poyrazköy coup plot case, as he was being charged with “being member of the Ergenekon armed terrorist organization,” facing a prison sentence from 7.5 to 15 years.

He had been charged without arrest and had no lawyer representing him in the case, Doğan News Agency has reported. The next hearing in the case was scheduled for Sept. 18.

Doğan was also among the Turkish commandos who took part in the military operation on the Kardak (Imia) islets in 1996.

Doğan, who was the chief of a security company servicing the THY, was killed in a drive-by shooting on May 27 when a company car was attacked by unknown people. He was immediately taken to hospital, but could not be saved.

A funeral for Doğan is set to be held on May 29 in the Thracian province of Tekirdağ. 

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, Turkish Ambassador Kani Torun told daily Hürriyet, adding the possibility of the al-Qaida linked al-Shabaab being behind the assault could not be ignored.

Somali officials did not give any specific information during a meeting regarding the attack, Torun added.

“Al-Shabaab immediately takes the responsibility when it launches an attack. Last July, they claimed the responsibility for the attack on the embassy. There was no information delivered to the Somali government that the attack was conducted by al-Shabaab. However we cannot ignore the...