[Turkey]: Out With the Old

[Colton]

Ankara​

On a street corner in southern Ankara sits a small deli. A mid-level functionary for the new government's justice ministry sits inside, eating a sandwich after a late night in the office. He eats alone in the mostly-deserted deli, as it is close to its closing time of 10pm. A secure briefcase sits on the floor under his chair, as he's had to take his work home for the night, because his boss needs the report prepared for the Minister of Justice at 8 tomorrow morning. As he finishes his meal, he stands up, brushes off his suit, picks up the briefcase, and leaves. His apartment is within walking distance, so he takes a right turn at the door, and heads in the direction. He looks around, alert, but without much concern. Despite the high crime rate in the country, this area of Ankara is relatively safe, as is most of the city, due to the heavy police and military presence since the war. As he continues walking, another man walks towards him, hands in pockets, seemingly just headed in the opposite direction. As the two get closer, though, the man removes his right hand from his pocket, produces a pistol, and fires once, striking the functionary in the head and causing him to collapse to the ground. The man conceals his pistol, grabs the briefcase, now lying on the sidewalk, and reaches into the man's pocket, taking is wallet. Then, he keeps walking.

---

Crime Scene, Southern Ankara​

Detective-Corporal Hamza Aydin flicks his cigarette butt into the road as he crosses the crime scene tape on the sidewalk. He takes in the scene, with several officers moving around, placing evidence markers, and canvassing the area. A call to the police had come in seconds after the gunshot, but by the time they arrived, the victim was already dead. The body now lay unmoved, covered by a white sheet, as crime scene photographers snapped pictures. Looking around the area, he knew there were no cameras that could have seen this area - the closest ones might be at the deli, if they had any, he thought. He made a mental note to check that in the morning. His look around the crime scene was interrupted by a shout from one of the officers. "Detective, over here!" the officer exclaims, holding up a shell casing. Aydin smiles, "Excellent, bag it up for technical services." He looks over to the body. "Do we know who this guy is?" he asks. "No sir, no wallet - only thing we found on him was a Justice Ministry badge, but it's only got his ID number." Aydin nods, "I'll have it run then." He heads to his car and makes a radio call requesting that, while the crime scene processing continues.

 

[Colton]

Ministry of Justice, Ankara​

The next morning at the Ministry of Justice, word has spread of the murder of the functionary - an aide to the Deputy Chief of the Major Investigations unit. The Deputy Chief meets with the Minister of Justice and the unit Chief as originally planned, but without the expected report. "Unfortunately, the report was with him," he explains. "It was taken, along with his belongings, other than his Ministry ID. The police are investigating of course, but it was in an area without many cameras. Their current theory is a robbery gone wrong, at least, but the leak of this report would be quite damaging." The three around the table nod, before the Justice Minister, Cemil Çiçek, speaks. "Yes, and we need that information so I can outline to the President the problem that we still have with those sympathetic elements, and convince him that we need to crack down on them. I want resource diverted to assist this investigation, quietly. And, of course, we need a new report, but it does not leave this building." The two nod in at the Justice Minister, and the meeting ends.

---

Deli, Southern Ankara​

Detective-Corporal Aydin looks at the small TV in a crowded back office at the streetcorner deli. "Play it again." he orders, while dragging on a cigarette. The owner complies, and a low-resolution video plays, showing a new frame every 2 seconds. The video shows a man, in blue jeans and a black hoodie, walking by. In his left hand is a secure briefcase. He is shown walking from the direction of the crime scene, then crosses the street at the corner. "Can't see his face, figures," Aydin says. He thanks the owner for his assistance, and takes the tape for evidence. He'll have to check for cameras across the road that might give him the information he needs. As he climbs back into his vehicle, he receives a phone call. "Hello?" he says. "Detective, we have a partial fingerprint match on the shell casing," a voice on the phone tells him. "Already? It's not even been 12 hours." The voice on the other end replies, "The Inspector wants you back here to discuss this, and prepare a raid." Aydin acknowledges, hangs up, and heads for his precinct.

---

Apartment Complex, Western Ankara​

At a small, one bedroom apartment in Western Ankara, two men are working on attempting to open the secure briefcase. "Fuck!" exclaims one, "We might as well get some thermite to open this thing. Who knew it would be this hard?" The other replies, "And destroy what we are trying to get? Give me a break." As they continue to work on it, the door flies open, kicked inward by a heavily armed police officer. "National Police!" he yells. "Get on the floor!" One of the men is stunned, eyes agape, as six officers flood into the apartment. The other springs up, reaching for a gun on the table behind them. The first officer does not hesitate, firing three rounds from his weapon and neutralizing the threat. The stunned man is grabbed by the officers, pushed to the floor, and placed into handcuffs. Others tend to the wounded man, calling for medical assistance and restraining him. Detective-Corporal Aydin walks into the apartment, looking around at the scene, and then looks down to the unharmed man. He says simply, "Recepp Ulusoy, you're under arrest for murder."

 

[Colton]

Ministry of Justice, Ankara​

Detective-Corporal Aydin enters the interrogation room, a few days after the raid, to speak again with Recepp Ulusoy. The prisoner is handcuffed to the table, and stares down at it, with only a slight glance towards Aydin as he enters the room. Aydin sets at the table, and begins speaking. "My partner tells me that you haven't talked. You know that your friend has died, yes? That leaves just you as the sole person responsible for the murder of a Justice Ministry staffer. We've gotten into the briefcase, and found all the information related to an investigation that you were looking for. You will go to prison for the rest of your life, you understand that?" he asks. Ulusoy sits in silence as a response. Aydin leans forward, "Or death in this case, I suppose. The Ministry of Justice does not look too kindly upon those who kill their members in support of the criminals of the old government." The prisoner's head snaps up at that, eyes opened in surprise. "What- nobody has been executed since-," is all he can stammer out before Aydin butts in. "Yes, and the government is going to bring it back for you. Don't you feel special?" Ulusoy squirms in his seat for a moment, before blurting out, "I know things!" Aydin grins, leaning back in his chair. "Like what?"

---

President's Office, Ankara​

A private meeting is called in President Sahin's office later in the week. Present is the Minister of Justice, Cemil Çiçek, the Minister of National Defense, Mehmet Vecdi Gönül, and the Chief of the Major Investigations Unit. The Justice Minister starts first. "Mr. PResident, some time ago, we had a murder of an investigator related to a major investigation that my office was undertaking in regards to the ongoing activities of members of the previous government. He was preparing a report for myself, which was stolen. His murder was caught, and after questioning, he has revealed something quite concerning about the members of said government, including former President Bahceli." The Minister nods towards the Chief of the MIU, who begins to speak. "It would appear that there is some sort of ongoing plot by members of the former government, and sympathizers, to destabilize ours, and attempt to eventually regain control. We've made some arrests from the information gained via interrogation, and they all point to this being the case. It also appears that they are receiving some insider information from the Justice Ministry - I will be heading up a separate investigation into that. I know there was the initial intent and hope for general amnesty as a result of the peaceful transition of power, but it is my evaluation that there needs to be a strong response to this group, else we will be looking at a possible insurgency." The President nods. "And you all think this is a credible threat to our nation?" The three nod, with the Defense Minister finally speaking. "We purged our ranks, and are still reconstituting our forces. There are doubtless former members of the military who are a part of this group, and I am sure there are those on the extreme end of things who would be sympathetic. Given that we have not reformed any specialized tactical units of the National Police, or our own special forces, we think it best that any raids involve military formations, though we understand that will come with a lot of political heat." The President sighs, looking out of the window to his office. "We cannot allow these people to regain power and terrorize the region. If we are to be players on the international stage, they must be taken care of." He turns back, facing the assembled group. "You have my blessing, and any support you need will be given. Begin at once."