A nationalist militant convicted has confessed to inciting last week’s slaying of ethnic Armenian journalist, editor of the Turkish-Armenian newspaper “Agos”, Hrant Dink. Yasin Hayal told police officers he provided a gun and money to the teenager who is suspected of carrying out Friday’s shooting, a newspaper reported, citing police records. The teenager, Ogun Samast, was also arrested over the weekend along with several other people and has confessed to fatally shooting the journalist, according to a chief prosecutor. During police questioning, Hayal, told investigators: "I gave him the gun and the money. Ogun fulfilled his duty and saved the honor of Turkey," the Hurriyet newspaper reported. Police confirmed the confession, but gave no details. If accurate, Hayal’s reported statements to police would be a strong indication that the slain journalist, Hrant Dink, was targeted because of his public statements on the mass killings of Armenians by Turks in the early 20th century, one of the nation’s most sensitive and divisive issues. The killer convicted in 2004 bomb attack at a McDonald’s restaurant in Trabison.
The head of the security department of Istanbul, Jelalledin Jerah yesterday announced that the murder of the editor of “Akos” newspaper, Dink doesn’t have any political motives. According to him the murder was convicted on a basis of nationalism. “When revealing the crime we didn’t find any political motives and it was committed because of nationalism,” said Jerah. Hrant Dink’s funeral will take place today in Istanbul.