Yasin Hayal
Encyclopedia
Yasin Hayal is a Turkish
criminal who served a ten-month prison term for bombing a McDonald's
restaurant in the city of Trabzon
, Turkey
, currently on trial for allegedly inciting Ogün Samast
to assassinate Turkish Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink
.
Yasin Hayal is a former member of the Turkish ultra-nationalist
Great Union Party
; he was expelled before the assassination of Dink.
, was killed on January 19, 2007 in front of the Agos
office in Istanbul
by gun shots, fired from behind in broad daylight.
The instigator of the murder, Erhan Tuncel, allegedly informed police officer Muhittin Zenit of the attack in advance. Zenit was unable to have Hayal apprehended due to orders from the Trabzon police department.
Initially Hayal claimed innocence, citing absence; however, telephone records proved that he was in Istanbul on the day of the assassination. His attorney was Fuat Turgut, who is currently suspected of membership in a militant organization called Ergenekon. The Great Union Party financed his court expenses; however, its leader, Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu
adamantly denied any connection between his party and Ergenekon.
During his last trial Hayal harassed Dink's wife, Rakel.
In August 2008, his brother, Osman Hayal, was taken into custody for incitement.
In October, Osman was indicted by prosecutors Selim Berna Altay and Fikret Seçen for abetment, on the grounds that he was allegedly in Istanbul when the crime took place. The charge carries a penalty of 22.5-35 years.
fast. However, he left home after dinner after telling his parents he would spend the night with a friend in college. The police did not question Hayal's family for some time.
He was originally sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in prison.
He was retried on 23 September 2008, after a higher court decided that the penalty for his six victims should be cumulative. He did not attend his trial so his written statement will be obtained from his current residence of Tekirdağ prison.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
criminal who served a ten-month prison term for bombing a McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurant in the city of Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, currently on trial for allegedly inciting Ogün Samast
Ogün Samast
Ogün Samast is a Turkish ultra-nationalist who killed Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink on January 19, 2007 in front of the headquarters of his newspaper Agos, in Osmanbey, Istanbul.-Background:...
to assassinate Turkish Armenian
Armenians in Turkey
Armenians in Turkey have an estimated population of 40,000 to 70,000 . Most are concentrated around Istanbul. The Armenians support their own newspapers and schools...
journalist Hrant Dink
Hrant Dink
Hrant Dink or Հրանտ Դինք ) was a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent editor, journalist and columnist....
.
Yasin Hayal is a former member of the Turkish ultra-nationalist
Turkish nationalism
Turkish nationalism is a political ideology that promotes and glorifies the Turkish people, as either a national, ethnic or linguistic group and puts the interests of the state over other influences, including religious ones.-Pan-Turkism:...
Great Union Party
Great Union Party
The Great Union Party is a nationalist political party in Turkey, created on January 29, 1993. It is considered to be close to the Grey Wolves organization, and is related to the "Alperen Ocakları" tendency, which operated a synthesis between Islamism and Turkish Nationalism, and separated itself...
; he was expelled before the assassination of Dink.
Murder of Hrant Dink
Hayal is connected to the murder of journalist Hrant Dink on January 19, 2007, by giving the murderer, Ogün Samast, the idea and supplying him with a weapon and money. Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper AgosAgos
Agos is an Armenian weekly newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established on 5 April 1996. Today, it has a circulation of over 9,000. It has both Armenian and Turkish pages as well as an on-line English edition...
, was killed on January 19, 2007 in front of the Agos
Agos
Agos is an Armenian weekly newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. It was established on 5 April 1996. Today, it has a circulation of over 9,000. It has both Armenian and Turkish pages as well as an on-line English edition...
office in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
by gun shots, fired from behind in broad daylight.
The instigator of the murder, Erhan Tuncel, allegedly informed police officer Muhittin Zenit of the attack in advance. Zenit was unable to have Hayal apprehended due to orders from the Trabzon police department.
Initially Hayal claimed innocence, citing absence; however, telephone records proved that he was in Istanbul on the day of the assassination. His attorney was Fuat Turgut, who is currently suspected of membership in a militant organization called Ergenekon. The Great Union Party financed his court expenses; however, its leader, Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu
Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu
Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu was a Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey. He was the leader and founder of the Great Union Party , a right-wing, nationalist political party....
adamantly denied any connection between his party and Ergenekon.
During his last trial Hayal harassed Dink's wife, Rakel.
In August 2008, his brother, Osman Hayal, was taken into custody for incitement.
In October, Osman was indicted by prosecutors Selim Berna Altay and Fikret Seçen for abetment, on the grounds that he was allegedly in Istanbul when the crime took place. The charge carries a penalty of 22.5-35 years.
McDonald's incident
Hayal bombed a McDonald's branch in Trabzon on 24 October 2004. He left the scene without his jacket, his leg injured. His mother, Huri, said that Yasin left home on 24 October after the noon prayer and returned at night. The next day, he left around the same time at noon, once again returning in the evening to break the RamadanRamadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
fast. However, he left home after dinner after telling his parents he would spend the night with a friend in college. The police did not question Hayal's family for some time.
He was originally sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in prison.
He was retried on 23 September 2008, after a higher court decided that the penalty for his six victims should be cumulative. He did not attend his trial so his written statement will be obtained from his current residence of Tekirdağ prison.