Posted on 12/20/2004 10:00:09 AM PST by knighthawk
ISTANBUL, Turkey - An Islamic militant facing treason charges denied allegations at the opening of his trial Monday that he masterminded a failed plot to crash an airplane into the mausoleum of the founder of secular Turkey.
Metin Kaplan, dubbed the "Caliph of Cologne" by his supporters, told the court that Islam opposed terrorism and that he was not involved in any kind of terrorist activity.
"I am a Muslim ... no Muslim can be a terrorist ... Islam means peace," said Kaplan who also quoted excerpts from the Quran about peace.
The court adjourned the trial until April 4, 2005. By that time, new amendments in the Turkish penal code will go into effect and Kaplan's lawyers are hoping for lighter punishment if he is convicted.
Germany extradited Kaplan to Turkey in October. His group, the Caliphate State, calls for the overthrow of Turkey's secular government and its replacement with an Islamic state. The group is outlawed in Germany and Turkey.
Kaplan's extradition became possible after Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2002. Turkey also has introduced measures to crack down on torture to meet conditions for European Union membership.
Kaplan's group in Germany was banned on Dec. 12, 2002, marking the first time that German authorities used tougher anti-terror laws approved after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
No connection has been established between Kaplan's group and the Sept. 11 attacks. But German investigators have said that some members traveled to Afghanistan to meet with supporters of alleged mastermind Osama bin Laden in 1996 or 1997.
Turkish authorities allege Kaplan plotted in 1998 to fly an explosives-laden aircraft into Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's mausoleum, which covers an entire hilltop in Ankara, when thousands of officers, students and foreign dignitaries would be visiting the site for a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the secular republic.
They say the plot was foiled when Turkish police arrested 23 suspected members of Kaplan's group the day before the ceremony.
Kaplan, flanked by paramilitary police, told the court that allegations against him were based on testimonies of suspected Islamic militants questioned under "torture."
Kaplan is accused of "armed attempt to overturn the constitutional order," a charge that amounts to treason. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Kaplan said his earlier call for jihad, or "holy war," against the secular Turkish republic was misunderstood.
"Jihad is a word with several meanings. Jihad does not necessarily mean war," Kaplan said.
Kaplan was extradited to Turkey after a lower court in Germany rejected a bid to restore his status as a political asylum seeker - capping a long-running drive by German authorities to deport him.
Ping
Well. I'm stumped!
I saw Midnight Express over the week end.
My year in Turkey was spent about 80 miles south of the prison in Bursa that the movie centered on.
The Turkish legal system is the basis for the countries stability. It won't show much mercy on this innocent Muslim.
Turkish prison is torture. Turkish prison is a death penalty.
Lie of the century.
I lived in Turkey for a year. I visited a couple of English girls at the prison in Balikesir who got life sentences for smuggling drugs. The prison there did not seem at all different from the one in the movie. I was there in the late 70's.
My opinion of Turkey is based on my experience there which was excellent. I tried to get the Air Force to extend my tour for another year but they would not do it unless I re enlisted.
The court system there is what keeps the country free from the oppression of the Muslim religion.
It is still a bit harsh by comparison to anything we know in the states.
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