Attack on politician Özdağ: Prosecutors dismiss Grey Wolves link, seek prison term for suspects

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The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has indicted five suspects regarding the assault on Selçuk Özdağ, the vice chair of the Future (Gelecek) Party, which was founded by former PM Ahmet Davutoğlu in 2019.

Özdağ was beaten with sticks while he was leaving home in the capital city of Ankara on January 15.

This was one of the three similar attacks perpetrated in the city within 24 hours. The other two assaulted people were a journalist and a TV host critical of the government.

The Grey Wolves, an ultranationalist group linked to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of the government, was accused of having organized the attacks.

MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli denied the allegations while implicitly threatening journalists who criticized his stance in the face of the attacks.

CLICK - Bahçeli threatens Davutoğlu, journalists

CLICK - Bahçeli lambasted after continued threats against journalists, opposition

The prosecutor's office decided not to prosecute Suat Y. and Musa Ş., the chair and the deputy chair of the Grey Wolves organization in Ankara.

It charged five suspects ( Abdurrahman G., Berke A., Gülahmet T., Kadir H. and Muhammet Raşit G.) with "threatening of a person by multiple people with weapons" and "willful injury with a weapon causing a bone fracture."

The suspects are facing up to 11 years in 9 months in prison each.

According to the indictment, the suspects went to the street Özdağ lives in Ankara's Cevizlidere Neighborhood with a car they borrowed from someone else.

They beat the politician with sticks and punched him to an extent that could not be treated with simple medical attention, says the indictment.

Meanwhile, Muhammet Raşit G. pointed a gun at Özdağ's chauffeur, preventing him from intervening in the attack and the gun in question could not be found, the indictment notes.

Three of the suspects left the scene of the incident on foot and two with a car while Özdağ's chauffeur fired two shots behind them upon his instruction, the prosecutors further noted.

Two of the suspects were arrested on January 19 and three others were arrested on January 28. (HA/VK)