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Turkish interior minister: Armed men in funeral ceremony identified

04 October 2013 22:09 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA.Turkish Interior Minister said armed men, who had masks to cover their faces, at Thursday's commemoration ceremony for a 21-year-old protester who died during a shootout at a protest against drug gangs in Ä°stanbul were identified by police, APA reports quoting Today’sZaman.

Güler said police examined the camera footage of the funeral ceremony and identified nine men who were carrying guns, a scene that sparked public outrage.

“What they aimed for there was to cause police intervention and create tension at the ceremony. We know for sure why they were carrying weapons. We're working on this issue. We will not tolerate drug gangs, illegal organizations or urban bandits,” Güler said earlier on Friday.

Güler said police did not intervene in the funeral ceremony to avert any clash that could led to civilian casualties.

A commemoration ceremony and a funeral were finally held on Thursday for Hasan Ferit Gedik after his body was kept at a cemevi near his home for three days.

Gedik, affiliated with the extreme left-wing Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), was killed on Sunday during a protest against drug gangs in Gülsuyu, a neighborhood of the Maltepe district. Gunmen thought to belong to a drug gang opened fire on the DHKP/C members attending the protest at around 8:00 p.m., killing Gedik and injuring four others.