Mehmet Selim Kiraz

Lawyers, judges and prosecutors have eventually accepted being searched by x-rays and metal detectors at the entrance of Istanbul's main Ça?layan Courthouse, as part of heightened security measures at courthouses following a hostage crisis during which a prosecutor and his two captors were killed.

Turkey has lifted a ban on access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube after social media websites complied with an Istanbul court's order to remove images of a Turkish prosecutor taken hostage by leftist militants, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

A court has threatened to block Google in Turkey, if the world's most popular search engine does not comply with its ruling against the publication of images showing a prosecutor who was killed during a hostage crisis in Istanbul.

Turkish authorities blocked access to Twitter and YouTube due to the websites' refusal to remove photos of a public prosecutor, who was taken hostage last week and was later killed by his abductors.

Italian police have arrested a Turkish national allegedly linked to an outlawed far-left group blamed for two recent deadly shootouts in Istanbul, Turkish media reported on April 7.

Erdal Ünal, who was allegedly the instigator of a hostage situation in Istanbul?s Ça?layan courthouse on March 31, was detained in Italy, daily Habertürk reported on April 7.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) head Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu has questioned why an autopsy report for slain prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz has been declared secret even after the incident was finalized.

Turkey blocks access to "166 websites"

ANKARA -- Turkish authorities have ordered access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube blocked to prevent publication of images of a Turkish prosecutor killed last week.

Turkish authorities have blocked access to Twitter, YouTube and Facebook over the publication of photos published on the three social media platforms showing a prosecutor who was taken hostage by militants in Istanbul last week.

Political polarization has escalated in Turkey as the country is heading for a critical parliamentary elections on June 7.

Istanbul?s chief public prosecutor denied April 4 media reports that cited a medical examination showing that 10 bullets hit Turkish prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz during a hostage situation on March 31 in which both he and his two captors died.