Turkey’s justice minister tweeted on Thursday that Ankara had submitted an extradition request to US authorities for Turkish writer Eylem Tok and her son T.C. due to a vehicle accident in which one man was killed and four others were injured, state broadcaster TRT reported.
According to the police investigation, Tok and her 17-year-old son, who was driving the car involved in the accident that resulted in the death of Oğuz Murat Aci and the injuring of four other people, flew to Egypt together on the night of the accident.
Turkish media reported on Thursday that the mother and son had traveled to the US from Egypt. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said Egyptian authorities had informed Turkey of the pair’s departure for the US, confirming the reports.
Acı was the father of a young daughter and an avid quad biker.
According to the Turkish media, the accident occurred last Friday, when Acı and his friends, who were riding quad bikes, stopped on the shoulder due to a mechanical problem. While attempting to warn oncoming traffic, Acı was fatally struck by a car driven by T.C., Tok’s underage son, who did not have a driver’s license.
T.C. called his mother and asked for help. Tok rushed to the scene of the accident, put her son in her own car and drove away.
Instead of helping the victims, Tok is accused of spiriting her son away from the scene, leaving the injured and the deceased behind.
One of the injured parties later spoke to Turkish media and said he had reached for his phone to call an ambulance but that his phone was missing, claiming someone must have taken it.
Özer Aci, mourning the death of his son Oğuz, spoke to the media from his home on Thursday and mentioned the disappearance of some victims’ phones, suggesting possible tampering with potential pieces of evidence.
Aci argued that a mother’s protective instinct should not go so far as to shirk accountability and urged Tok to trust the justice system and stand trial.
He urged Tok to face up to the consequences of her actions and emphasized the damage she has caused not only to herself and her former spouse but also to her son. Tok’s ex-husband, T.C.’s father, is Bülent Cihantimur, a prominent plastic surgeon.
The Aci family’s lawyer, Burak Erden, confirmed the loss of the victims’ phones and announced legal action against Tok and her son for their alleged involvement in tampering with evidence and against Tok for aiding in her son’s escape.
