A bookstore run by Islamic State (IS) and used as a logistics warehouse in Turkey's southeastern city of Gaziantep is still active, according to a report.
The testimonies of an anonymous witness code-named 'Piramit' have been revealed in the indictment on "the May 1, 2016, attack to the Turkish Police Department" prepared by Gaziantep’s Office of the Chief Prosecutor and submitted by the 8th Heavy Criminal Court of Turkey.
An Islamic State member, İsmail Güneş, had attacked by a car bomb to the main police station in Gaziantep on May 1, 2016. In the bomb attack, 3 police officers lost their lives, while 27 staff members working at the police station and 7 civilians got wounded. Turkey’s Syrian border province Gaziantep is known as a base for the jihadist militants.
'I THINK THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT IS THE BEST OF A BAD BUNCH'
According to daily Birgün's report, the testimonies of the suspect Cuma Şahin are included in the bill of indictment as follows:
"It has been revealed that he [Cuma Şahin] stated in his testimony that 'I do not accept the current constitution of Turkey because I believe in the sharia of Allah as the constitution. I did not vote in the elections and I do not affiliate myself to any political view. I think the current government [of Turkey] is the best of a bad bunch. I do not vote because I believe in the sharia of Allah.' In the digital materials captured from the suspect Cuma Şahin, images corroborating his possible strong affiliation with armed terrorist organisation DAESH [an Arabic acronym for Islamic State ) have been found."
According to the report, the Mekke bookstore operated by Islamic State and used as a logistics warehouse for the terrorist organisation in Gaziantep is still active and open.
ISLAMIC STATE’S GAZİANTEP CELLS
Gaziantep, the Turkish-Syrian border city, is a corridor through which jihadist militants easily cross the border without any strict controls.
The indictment on ‘Islamic State’s structuring in Turkey’ shows that the IS jihadists made plans to invade Gaziantep, while at the same time using the province as a base for the attacks in Syria.
