The Bakirkoy District Public Prosecution Office sent back the investigation file regarding the assassination of three Chechen asylum seekers in Istanbul in September 2011. Earlier it was claimed that there were not any criminal groups behind the incident, per the Istanbul Public Prosecution Office on Counter- Terrorism.

Berg-Khazh Musaev (aka Emir Khamzat), Zaurbek Amriev and Rustam Altemirov, were assassinated in broad daylight in the district of Zeytinburnu within Istanbul, Turkey on September 16, 2011. After the incident, Turkish judicial authorities started an investigation. Last month, Adem Ozcan, public prosecutor on counter-terrorism from the Istanbul Attorney General’s Office, announced that they were not able to find any “criminal group” and for this reason, they were convinced that the incident had nothing to do with any criminal groups and returned the investigation file to the Bakirkoy District Public Prosecution Office. However, after an investigation by the Bakirkoy District Public Prosecution Office, they are convinced that there is a criminal group behind the assassinations and for this reason; the file must be investigated by the prosecution office, which is responsible for terrorism and criminal groups. As a result, the Bakirkoy District Public Prosecution Office declared their lack of authorization on the incident and the Office sent it back.

Now, the Istanbul Public Prosecution Office on Counter- Terrorism has to examine the file once again, if the Office insists that there is no criminal group connection, and then an Aggravated Felony Court will decide which one of these two prosecution offices is responsible for investigating the incident.

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco