YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. Former Police Chief of Istanbul Ali Fuat Yılmazer, who is already in jail as part of a government-backed operation against police, was arrested for a second time in a separate investigation of the murder case of the former Editor-in-Chief of the Istanbul-based Armenian Agos periodical.

As reports “Armenpress” citing “Today's Zaman”, the former police chief was arrested by an İstanbul court after he testified to a prosecutor involved in the investigation into Dink’s murder.

In his testimony, he said that he was employed in Ankara when the incident took place. Stating that the İstanbul Police Department was responsible for providing guards to protect Dink when it received intelligence he was in danger, Yılmazer said that the fact that he is being connected to the murder is clearly slander. He pointed to earlier inspectors' reports that stated Yılmazer had not been involved in any misconduct regarding the incident.

Previously it was reported that within the framework of revision of the murder case of the former Editor-in-Chief of the Istanbul-based Armenian Agos periodical, the Police arrested Ercan Demir, the Head of Police of Cizre. Ercan Demir, the Head of Police of Cizre, had been interrogated.

A new prosecutor was appointed to investigate the case of murder of the Editor-in-Chief of the Istanbul-based Agos periodical Hrant Dink. From now on, the member of the Bureau for Struggle against Terrorism and Organized Crime Gökalp Kökçü will investigate the Armenian editor’s murder case. Yusuf Hakkı Doğan was his predecessor, who has recently been appointed the Court of Cassation of Turkey.

Ogün Samast, who murdered the Editor-in-Chief of the Istanbul-based Agos periodical Hrant Dink in 2007, has given new testimony comprising 7 pages to prosecutor Yusuf Hakkı Doğan. As reports “Armenpress”, the Turkish Demokrathaber.net stated about this. At the course of the interrogation, which lasted about 3 hours, the criminal stated that he kept silent till this moment, because he was afraid.

Among other things, Samast noted that on the day of assassination he noticed that he is being followed by two men. He called Hayil and said that he thinks the Police are following him. Hayil answered to him saying: “That’s possible, but there is no need to be worried, they’re with us.”

Samast, who was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison in 2011 for the murder, is currently testifying as a witness in the ongoing investigation into the murder. The sources said that Samast has named the suspect, who can add a new dimension to the investigation following a three hour interrogation by prosecutor Yusuf Hakkı Doğan.

Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of Agos, was murdered outside his office by 17-year-old Ogün Samast on January 19 2007. An earlier investigation showed that the prosecutors who worked on the case ignored serious allegations into the involvement of top police officers in the murder.