Turkish Forces Kill Hijacker, Free Hostages

December 2011

Turkish authorities have shot and killed the sole man that hijacked a passenger Ferry off the coast of Istanbul.

The hijacker held 24 people hostage for 12 hours before Turkish commandos raided the ship and killed the perpetrator.

The hijacker is believed to be a part of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, commonly referred to as their Krudish acronym, PKK.  This militant organization has been involved in an armed struggle with the larger Turkish government for nearly three decades.

The hijacker, who was a young man that looked to be in his early thirties, was carrying what turned out to be a fake bomb. He did not have a gun, but was carrying a device that later turned out to be made of bottles and wires.

The hijacker had yet to make any specific demands, except for food and fuel– the ferry was running short on gas and was anchored on the outskirts of Istanbul. It is unclear exactly what the hijacker intended to do with the ferry at this moment. The sole hijacker seems to contradict earlier reports that the ferry was hijacked by a group of militants.

The raid only lasted about 10 minutes, and the commandos had no problem taking out what turned out to be a lone, unarmed man.

The PKK has been waging guerilla warfare and conducting terrorist acts since 1984, as it seeks greater autonomy from Turkey. The south-eastern area of Turkey is dominated ethnically by Kurds, who feel they deserve their own autonomous state.

This act was likely in response to a recent offensive conducted by the Turkish government against the PKK, which has caused a spike in violence all across Turkey.