A man who sought to become a mayoral candidate from the ranks of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Mardin’s Derik district in 2014 masterminded an attack that killed a former district governor earlier this month, according to a report in the Sözcü daily on Tuesday.
A bomb attack that took place at the office of the district governor in Derik on Nov.10 injured three people including the former Derik district governor, Muhammed Fatih Safitürk. Safitürk succumbed to his wounds on Nov. 11.
The former district governor was appointed as a trustee to the Derik Municipality in Mardin in September.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) youth branch Civil Protection Units (YPS) claimed responsibility for the attack, which according to a statement from the Mardin Governor’s Office, was carried out using homemade explosives.
According to Sözcü, Tahsin E., who sought to be the AKP mayoral candidate in Derik in the local elections of 2014, was the person who planned the attack in Derik. He was not nominated by the AKP in the local elections.
In the application form for candidacy, Tahsin E. reportedly wrote:” Even if I am not nominated, I promise to work for the AKP with my heart and soul.”
Tahsin E., who was working as a civil servant at the Derik district governor’s office, was among 71 people who were detained two days after the attack.