On Sunday, there was a bang in Istanbul: shortly after 7 p.m. there were several explosions in the Fikirtepe district. Then a house in Erdemler-Gasse was on fire. As the “Berner Zeitung” writes, three people died. Among the dead: Mustafa K.*, known in Switzerland as the “safari killer”.
K.’s cruel act shocked Switzerland. On July 27, 1998, the Turk and his accomplices shot and killed four people. The four masked men stormed the Safari bar and killed three Turks and a Swiss with a Kalashnikov AK 47.
All clues led to K., the owner of the gun and whose DNA was identified. He must be interrogated and reveal something about his accomplices. But when the Bernese police wanted to arrest K. in his hometown in Basel, he was long gone. In 2008 he was wanted internationally.
Quad killer gets life in prison and is released after eight years
In 2012, K. was finally arrested in Turkey. Apparently his own brother gave the authorities the crucial tip. Because Turkey does not extradite its citizen, he was tried in Istanbul. He denied the crime in court. It made no sense. Given the heavy burden of proof, he was convicted of murder and given a life sentence.
However, after six years, K. was released early because he was suffering from diabetes. He told his neighbor that he wanted to take revenge on his family. Because his brother betrays him? One thing is clear: Investigators found explosives in his apartment after the explosion. However, according to the Berner Zeitung, the Turkish Interior Ministry does not want to know anything about an attack or revenge action. There is talk of an accident.
The reason for the assumption is the report of an eyewitness. According to him, K. only entered the house after the first explosion and is therefore not responsible. However, it is unclear why K. had explosives in his apartment. Appropriate studies have been launched to clarify this question.
It is still unclear who the other three perpetrators of the horrific safari murders were. However, the Turk’s death robs the police of an important resource for solving the safari murders. The statute of limitations for the murders ends in 2028. (jwg)
* Editor’s name known.