Security Forces Storm Istanbul Courthouse, Ending Hostage Situation

Two suspected members of the illegal Marxist group the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party–Front (DHKP/C) were killed by security forces on Tuesday, March 31, after taking a prosecutor hostage at Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse earlier in the day.

According to local reports, Mehmet Selim Kiraz, the prosecutor involved in the controversial case of Berkin Elvan, was hospitalized with serious injuries after security forces stormed the courthouse were he was being held. The 15-year-old Elvan was fatally wounded by a tear gas canister during the Taksim Square protests in 2013. He died on March 11, 2014, after spending nine months in a coma.

The Marxist group issued demands in text on Facebook, threatening the life of the prosecutor should they not be met, and an audio recording to YouTube for which Storyful is seeking translations. The demands, as translated by journalist Abdullah Ayasun, include a live televised confession from those who killed Elvan; the reinstatement of those who lost their jobs due to their involvement in the protests; and for the police involved in Elvan’s death be tried in court.

This footage captures the security operation outside of Istanbul Justice Palace, and the sound of gunshots overhead. Credit: Twitter/KayipGulogg