The two would-be hitmen who were arrested in Kyrenia last week having allegedly travelled to the north to kill a “businessman” appeared in court for a third time on Wednesday.
In court, police officer Cemal Sanlier once again walked those in attendance through the sequence of events which led to their arrest, recalling that the pair had been pulled over for a routine traffic stop at around 8.30pm on August 14 while driving a hire car through Kyrenia.
He said that “reasonable suspicion” was then raised regarding the pair’s intentions, and a search of the vehicle was ordered.
The search turned up a 9mm Glock pistol and 12 bullets, which had been left in the car’s glovebox.
Additionally, a search of one of the pair’s mobile phones found a text message he had sent which read, “uncle, send us 20,000TL, we will buy a mask and other things, we have to make preparations, so we are not recognised.” 20,000TL is worth €542.
Other messages sent and received included a picture of a businessman based in the north, the registration plate of the “businessman’s” car, and other messages related to a planned assassination.
A message on the other man’s phone read, “we are following him, and when we see him, we will get him, don’t you worry.”
The identity of the “businessman” who the pair intended to kill has not yet been made public.
Sanlier added that a second search of the hire car had been carried out after the pair most recently appeared in court on Friday, and that two scarves which could have been used to cover the pair’s faces were unearthed.
He added that both suspects had told police during interrogation that they had no knowledge of the gun which was found in the glovebox of the hire car, but that this defence had been contradicted by the fact police had found CCTV footage of one of the suspects holding the gun in his hand.
With the police’s investigation into the matter still ongoing, Sanlier requested that the pair be remanded in custody for a further seven days. Jude Hazal Hacimulla acquiesced, and the pair are set to next appear in court on August 28.
