MEHMET BAYDAR

27 January 1973

Los Angeles/USA

Mehmet Baydar (1924-1973)

The Armenian assaults against Turkish citizens started in 1973 when Mehmet Baydar and Bahadir Demir, Turkish Consul General and Consul in Los Angeles, were murdered by a 78-year-old American Armenian named Gurgen (Karakin) Yanikian.

Inviting Baydar and Demir to the Baltimore Hotel (for "tea") in Santa Barbara by declaring that he wished to give a painting of Abdulhamid as a gift to Turkey, Yanikian shot the two Turkish diplomats dead. He was arrested for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, Yanikian was paroled on 31 December 1984 and died shortly afterwards.

This incident, constituting the first assault against the Turkish diplomats, launched a chain of murders and became a template for the subsequent attacks by Armenian terrorists.

Kourken Yanikian, as his name was spelled in an Armenian site, paying this murderer "homage" as a hero

Yanikian, who had carried out one of the most heinous double-murders in the state's history, was treated as a "hero" by the crowd of Armenians who had gathered in the courtroom. Armenian-Americans quickly mobilized and formed a group called "American Friends of Armenian Martyrs" to raise funds for his defense and to use the court case as "an educational campaign to bring the story of Turkish genocide before the American and world attention." (Armenian Mirror-Spectator, March 24, 1973) Until his death almost a decade later, a few months after he was released from prison on the order of the then California governor, George Deukmejian, Yanikian continued to receive gifts and supportive letters from Armenian-Americans.

(Paragraph in yellow was from "Armenian Atrocities and Terrorism")

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


BAHADIR DEMIR

27 January 1973

Los Angeles/USA

Bahadir Demir (1942-1973) Only 31 years old

The Armenian assaults against Turkish citizens started in 1973 when Mehmet Baydar and Bahadir Demir, Turkish Consul General and Consul in Los Angeles, were murdered by a 78-year-old American Armenian named Gurgen (Karakin) Yanikian.

Inviting Baydar and Demir to the Baltimore Hotel in Santa Barbara by declaring that he wished to give a painting of Abdulhamid as a gift to Turkey, Yanikian shot the two Turkish diplomats dead. He was arrested for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, Yanikian was paroled on 31 December 1984 and died shortly afterwards.

The Armenian Reporter declared on March 8, 1984 that Yanikian had "opened [a] new era of political struggle" and "changed the course of Armenian history."

This incident, constituting the first assault against the Turkish diplomats, launched a chain of murders and became a template for the subsequent attacks by Armenian terrorists.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DANIS TUNALIGIL

Vienna/Austria

22 October 1975

Danis Tunaligil

Turkey’s Ambassador to Austria, Danis Tunaligil, was murdered by three terrorists raiding the Embassy.

When the Turkish Airline Office in Beyrouth was bombed on 20 February 1975, the letter left in the location by ASALA’s Esir Yanikian group that undertook the attack’s responsibility declared that they would fight against the imperialists for the Armenians’ rightful case and that the attacks would target Turkey, Iran and United States and that this case was only a beginning.

On 22 October 1975, three persons bearing automatic weapons forced their way into the Turkish Embassy in Vienna, neutralised the guards and entered the Ambassador’s office. Receiving an affirmative reply to their question in Turkish to Danis Tunaligil if he were the Ambassador, they shot him with automatic weapons. Tunaligil died on the spot and the murderers rapidly left the premises and fled in an automobile.

------------------------------------------------------------------------


ISMAIL EREZ

Paris/France

24 October 1975

Ismail Erez

Turkey’s Paris Ambassador Ismail Erez and his driver Talip Yener were murdered in the vicinity of the Embassy. The Ambassador’s car was ambushed at around 13.30 hours at the Bir Hakeim Bridge on Seine River and Ismail Erez and his driver Talip Yener were murdered by automatic weapon fire. The attack was owned up to by an organisation that called itself the Armenian Genocide Justice Commandos. (According to Erich Feigl, disputed by ASALA.)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TALIP YENER

Paris/France

24 October 1975

Talip Yener

Turkey’s Parisian Ambassador Ismail Erez and his driver Talip Yener were murdered in the vicinity of the Embassy. The Ambassador’s car was ambushed at around 13.30 hours at the Bir Hakeim Bridge on Seine River and Ismail Erez and his driver Talip Yener were murdered by automatic weapon fire. The attack was owned by an organisation that called itself the Armenian
Genocide Justice Commandos.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


OKTAR CIRIT

Beirut/Lebanon

16 February 1976

Oktar Cirit

 

Turkey’s Beyrouth Embassy First Secretary Oktar Cirit became the victim of Armenian terrorism while sitting at a hall. (Feigl: "in a restaurant on Hamra Street.") The attack was owned by the ASALA, which made its name known for the first time.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TAHA CARIM

Rome/Italy

9 June 1977

Taha Carim

 

Turkey’s Vatican Ambassador Taha Carim was killed by the cross fire of two terrorists in front of the Embassy’s residence. The attack was owned this time by the Armenian Genocide Justice Commandos organisation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NECLA KUNERALP

Madrid/Spain

2 June 1978

Necla Kuneralp

Three terrorists opened fire on the car of Turkey’s Madrid Ambassador Zeki Kuneralp whose wife Necla Kuneralp and retired Ambassador Besir Balcioglu lost their lives in this attack owned by the organisation that called itself the Armenian Genocide Justice Commandos organisation. For the first time in this incident, a foreigner had lost his life in an attack directed against Turks. That was the Ambassador’s driver Antonio Torres.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


BESIR BALCIOGLU

Madrid/Spain

2 June 1978

Besir Balcioglu

Three terrorists opened fire on the car of Turkey’s Madrid Ambassador Zeki Kuneralp whose wife Necla Kuneralp and retired Ambassador Besir Balcioglu lost their lives in this attack owned by the organisation that called itself the Armenian Genocide Justice Commandos organisation. For the
first time in this incident, a foreigner had lost his life in an attack directed against Turks. That was the Ambassador’s driver Antonio Torres.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


AHMET BENLER

The Hague/Netherlands

12 October 1979

 

Ahmet Benler

Ahmet Benler, son of Turkey’s ambassador to The Hague, Özdemir Benler, was killed in an armed attack, on the street. (Feigl: Ten people look on as the terrorists slaughter the 27-year-old medical student and run away.) Responsibility was claimed separately by  ASALA and by JCAG, the Armenian Genocide Justice Commandos organisation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


YILMAZ COLPAN

Paris/France

22 December 1979

Yilmaz Colpan

Turkey’s Paris Tourism Counselor Yilmaz Colpan was murdered (while walking on the Champs Elysees) by a terrorist. This case was the second attack in Paris through Armenian terrorism. A person calling the news agencies thereafter said that the Armenian Genocide Justice Commandos was responsible for the assaults in Rome, Madrid and Paris and added that it was killing the Turkish diplomats because Turkey did not grant the rights of Armenians. (Feigl: "Several groups, including ASALA, JCAG and the 'Commandos of Armenian Militants Against Genocide' wrestle over responsibility.")



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


GALIP ÖZMEN

Athens/Greece

31 July 1980

Gali Ozmen

Turkey’s Athens Embassy Administrative Attaché Galip Özmen and his 14-year-old daughter Neslihan Özmen were killed in an armed attack by a terrorist while his wife Sevil Özmen and 16-year-old son Kaan Özmen survived though seriously wounded. The attack was claimed by the ASALA.

According to Basar Cem's "The Terror Dossier and Greece" (1993), One of the results of the Greek government's protection of terrorism targeting Turks was the assassination of Galip Ozmen, the Attache of the Turkish Embassy in Athens, and his daughter by the Armenian terrorists in 1980. The Turkish Foreign Ministry had learned that a Turkish diplomat in Athens would be assassinated, and asked the Greek Foreign Ministry to keep the Turkish diplomats under protection. However, the Greek Foreign Ministry did not take it seriously or did not want to take it seriously. Two months later Galip Ozmen and his daughter were killed.

In my interview with the Director of the Greek General Diractorate of Press and Information two months after the incident, he had said to me that, "We have received the information that assassination would be committed, but I do not understand why the warning was not taken seriously..."

In a declaration prepared by the ASALA, which was being distributed in Athens a month before the assassination, it was being said that:

"We will continue our actions against the Turkish diplomats in every country until Turkiye accepts its crime in the Armenian genocide and declares this to the world."

That declaration appeared in the Greek press with the headlines "The Armenians will shoot the Turks in Athens".

According to the book, ASALA terrorist Vadeh Khodaverdjian bombed the Athens bureau of Kuwait Airlines in 1982, and was sentenced to 14 years and one month. However the Supreme Court of Appeal in Athens reduced his punishment to 3 years and 4 months on September 29, 1987, and he was released.

"The Greek Public Prosecutor, instead of interrogating the Armenian terrorist, who endangered the security of the citizens of Greece, presented Vadeh Khodaverdjian to the court as a warrior struggling for his ideals and overtly defended the terrorist."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NESLIHAN ÖZMEN

Athens/Greece

31 July 1980

Neslihan Ozmen

Turkey’s Athens Embassy Administrative Attaché Galip Özmen and his 14-year-old daughter Neslihan Özmen were killed in an armed attack by a terrorist while his wife Sevil Özmen and son Kaan Özmen survived though seriously wounded. The attack was claimed by the ASALA.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SARIK ARIYAK

Sydney/Australia

17 December 1980

Sarik Ariyak

Turkey’s Sydney Consul General Sarik Ariyak and his security guard Engin Sever became the victims of Armenian terrorism.

Aside from this case,

- Dogan Türkmen, Turkey’s Ambassador to Switzerland, came out alive from the attack on 6 February 1980 in Bern,

- Fire was opened on 17 April 1980 on the official car of Turkey’s Vatican Ambassador Vecdi Türel. Both Türel and his security guard Tahsin Güvenc were wounded in this attack, and

- Selcuk Bakkalbasi, the Press Attaché of Turkish Embassy in Paris, was wounded in an armed attack on 26 September 1980.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ENGIN SEVER

Sydney/Australia

17 December 1980

Engin Sever

 

 

Turkey’s Sydney Consul General Sarik Ariyak and his security guard Engin Sever became the victims of Armenian terrorism.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


RESAT MORALI

Paris/France

4 March 1981

Resat Morali (1943-1981)

Resat Morali and Tecelli Ari, Counsellors of Labour and Religious Affairs at the Turkish Embassy in Paris were attacked by two terrorists when they were taking their car in front of the Labour Attaché’s office. Morali was killed on the spot while the Religious Affairs Attaché Ari succumbed to death at the hospital where he was rushed with serious wounds. The attack was owned by ASALA in this third murderous attack of Armenian terrorism; Turkey protested to France for not properly protecting the Turkish diplomats. (Feigl: Ilkay Karakoc, the Paris representative of Anadolu Bank, was also targeted. "Morali and Karakoc try to flee the scene and make it safely to a cafe, but the owner throws them back out onto the street. Karakoc still manages to escape. Morali is murdered in front of the cafe. Ari, who was the first one targeted, dies a short time later. There are countless witnesses, but no one can 'remember' what the murderers looked like. The Shahan Natali Group of ASALA claims responsibility.")

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TECELLI ARI

Paris/France

4 March 1981

Tecelli Ari (1946-1981)

Resat Morali and Tecelli Ari, Counsellors of Labour and Religious Affairs at the Turkish Embassy in Paris were attacked by two terrorists when they were taking their car in front of the Labour Attaché’s office. Morali was killed on the spot while the Religious Affairs Attaché Ari succumbed to death at the hospital where he was rushed with serious wounds. The attack was owned by ASALA in this third murderous attack of the Armenian terrorism and Turkey gave a protest note to France for not properly protecting the Turkish diplomats. (See above for more details.)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


M. SAVAS YERGÜZ

Geneva/Switzerland

9 June 1981

M. Savas Yerguz

Mehmet Savas Yergüz, Secretary of the Turkish Consul General in Geneva, lost his life in an armed attack shortly after leaving the office for going home. The attack was owned by the ASALA. Mardiros (Madiros?) Camgozian (Jamgotchian), the Lebanese Armenian terrorist arrested after the attack, received a 15-year imprisonment sentence; he serves only 10 years. In a communiqué in Beirut, ASALA vows to "destroy Swiss interests throughout the world unless Jamgotchian is freed." ASALA then forms a new branch, called the "Ninth of June Organization," which undertakes a series of 12 attacks against Swiss targets worldwide. Though ASALA claims responsibility, few arrests are made.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Woman held hostage by Armenian terrorists in Paris' Turkish embassy, Sept. 24, 1981

CEMAL ÖZEN

Paris/France

24 September 1981

Cemal Ozen

Four Armenian terrorists occupying the premises housing the Turkish Consulate General and the office of the Cultural Attaché took hostage 56 Turkish officials and citizens, and killed security guard Cemal Özen who attempted to attack and wounded Consul General Kaya Inal. The terrorists wanted Turkey to release 12 political detainees and to send them to Paris. As they realised that this demand would not be complied with, they surrendered to the police some 15 hours after. Turkey warned France once more; the attack was claimed by ASALA. Four Lebanese-Armenian terrorists named Vasken Sakoseslian, Kevork Abraham Gozlian (Guzelian), Aram Avedis Basmacian and Agop Abraham Turfanian, received 7-year imprisonment sentences. (Guzelian, if not the others, got out in the summer of 1986, serving even less than his "slap-on-the-wrist" sentence.) The court verdict was protested in Turkey. These arrests, prosecutions and convictions, lead to the formation of the ASALA "September 24 Suicide Commandos" (a.k.a the "September France Group") which subsequently would strike at French targets in order to force the release of the four ASALA gunmen.

Kevork Guzelian; French slap-on-the-wrist, followed by release

Aside from this case, in 1981,

- Turkey’s Copenhagen Labour Attaché Cavit Demir came out with small arm wounds on 2 April in the lift of the apartment house where he lived, and

- Turkey’s Rome Embassy Second Secretary Gökberk Ergenekon survived with minor wounds an attack that was directed against him on 25 October on a street.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


KEMAL ARIKAN

Los Angeles/USA

28 January 1982

Kemal Arikan (1927-1982)

Turkey’s Los Angeles Consul General Kemal Arikan was killed by the Tashnak militant Hampig Sassounian, who was sentenced to life imprisonment. Sassounian's father states on public television, "I am glad that a Turk was killed, but my son did not do it." A previous attempt on Arikan was made with the firebombing of his home on Oct. 6, 1980.

The killers claiming responsibility were the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG)—after July 1983 called the Armenian Revolutionary Army (ARA). Unlike rival ASALA, this group attacked only Turkish targets.


A campaign to provide funds for Sassounian's defense raised $250,000 in small donations from Armenian-Americans throughout the United States. (Michael M. Gunter, "Pursuing the Just Cause of Their People": A Study of Contemporary Armenian Terrorism, p. 74.)

After Hampig Sassounian was found guilty of murdering the Turkish Consul in Los Angeles in 1982 . . . Bishop Yeprem Tabakian, the prelate of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, stated: "Hampig's conviction is an indictment directed against all Armenians." Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian, the primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, added: "I am truly shocked about the verdict." George Mason, the moderate publisher of The [Armenian] California Courier, concluded: "There are many Armenian Americans in California who feel great sympathy and support for Armenian terrorists. I have talked to numerous peaceful, fair, and thoughtful men who have expressed support for the terrorists."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ORHAN GÜNDÜZ

Boston/USA

5 May 1982

Orhan Gunduz (and wife?)

Turkey’s Boston Honorary Consul General Orhan Gündüz was killed in an armed attack. The Boston Herald article by James Connolly above wrote the diplomat was ambushed on May 4 (and not May 5), in Somerville, Massachusetts, and the Dashnaks' JCAG claimed responsibility. (There is a picture of wife, Meral Gunduz, in the account.)

Feigl tells us Gunduz was given an ultimatum by terrorists to give up his title of honorary consul, but refused. "An eyewitness who gave a description of the murderer is shot down. He survives but falls silent. A 357 magnum, a nine-mm handgun, and a jogging jacket used by the assailant are all left at the scene of the crime. Television stations and newspapers join the manhunt. When the eyewitness is shot down, all help from the public dries up. Gunduz's murderer is never caught."

President Reagan got the  Feds involved in an all-out manhunt, trying to apprehend the criminals. Gunduz's murder cut short the life of a school he was co-founder of. The Orhan Gündüz Memorial School got going again in 1994, staffed by volunteers.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ERKUT AKBAY

Lisbon/Portuga

7 June 1982

Ekrut Akbay

 

Turkey’s Lisbon Embassy Administative Attaché Erkut Akbay died as a result of an armed attack on his car. His wife Nadide Akbay succumbed later to death at the hospital where she was brought with corporeal wounds. (Feigl: "JCAG claims responsibility.")

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NADIDE AKBAY

Lisbon/Portuga

7 June 1982

Nadide Akbay

 

Turkey’s Lisbon Embassy Administative Attaché Erkut Akbay died as a result of an armed attack on his car. His wife Nadide Akbay succumbed later to death at the hospital where she was brought with corporeal wounds.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A NON-"DIPLOMAT" TERROR ATTACK (and first attack within Turkey)

August 7, 1982 Ankara, Esenboga Airport Two ASALA terrorists open fire in a crowded passenger waiting room. One of the terrorists takes more than 20 hostages while the second is apprehended by police. The killers leave nine people dead and 82 [The number was 72] injured. The surviving terrorist, Levon Ekmekjian, realizes the horror of his crime before the execution. He issues a strong appeal to his young comrades to reject the program of murder. (Erich Feigl, A Myth of Terror)

Levon Ekmekjian: had a change of heart

The hatred is venomous, relentless and overwhelming. When Armenian Terrorist Levon Ekmekjian was told by Turkish police that his two-man murder squad had succeeded in killing nine people and wounding 72 others, he cried out furiously, "It wasn't enough!"
The terrorists had exploded a bomb in the middle of the crowded check-in area at Ankara's Esenboga Airport on Aug. 7, then opened fire with submachine guns on passport-control officers and passengers, mostly Turkish workers returning to jobs in West Germany and The Netherlands after a holiday. One of the gunmen was reported to have yelled at his victims as he fired, "More than a million of us died! What's the difference if 25 of you die?"

(TIME Magazine, "A Cry for Bloody Vengeance," Aug. 23, 1982)

Holdwater: Actually, the Turks who died at the time of the supposed "more than a million" Armenians wasn't 25, but 100,000 times that. Perhaps a fifth of that number, 500,000, was at the hands of Armenians.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATILLA ALKIKAT

Ottawa/Canada

27 August 1982

Atilla Alkikat

Atilla Alkikat; shot in the neck with a 9mm pistol

 

Atilla Alkikat, the Military Attaché at the Turkish Embassy in Ottawa, was killed in an armed assault.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


BORA SÜELKAN

Burgos/Bulgaria

9 September 1982

Bora Suelkan

Bora Süelkan, Administrative Attaché of the Turkish Consulate General in Bourgos, was killed by a terrorist attack. (Feigl: "...assassinated in front of his home. The assassin leaves the message, "We shot dead the Turkish diplomat: Combat Unions of Justice Against the Armenian Genocide." An anonymous caller claims the assassination is the work of a branch of the ASALA headquarters in Beirut.")

Aside from this case, in 1982,

- Kemal Demirer, Rotterdam Consul General of Turkey, was wounded in an attack in front of his residence on 21 July. He came out of this attack with minor wounds and the attacker was arrested while trying to get away.

- Kani Güngör, Commercial Attaché in the Ottawa Embassy of Turkey, was wounded in an attack on 8 April. (According to the article below, Mr. Gungor was left paralyzed.)

"New book on terror," March 8, 2004, National Post (Canada), by Mary Vallis:

An Armenian immigrant who participated in Canada's first major
terrorist incident 22 years ago lives in Toronto and plays guitar in
a band, according to a new book probing the country's terrorist ties.

Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and Exports Terrorism Around the World explores how Canada has evolved into an internationally renowned hub of global terrorism. Written by National Post reporter Stewart Bell, the book contains exclusive interviews with victims of terrorist attacks, senior intelligence officials and terrorists themselves.

In September, 2003, at a nondescript coffee shop in Toronto's Little Italy, Mr. Bell met with Haig Gharakhanian, one of three Armenians convicted of plotting to kill a Turkish diplomat in Ottawa. The man was nervous because his band's CD was about to be released, and he had just met with CSIS to get clearance for his Canadian citizenship, but spoke with Mr. Bell anyway.

"As we were speaking, the lead singer of his band comes in and sits down," Mr. Bell recalled. "You could just see this guy's eyes widening as he listens to the guy who's been his guitar player and roommate for years explaining his involvement in terrorism."

Mr. Gharakhanian, who was just 17 years old when he participated in the attack, spent nine months in prison for his role in the 1982 shooting of Kani Gungor. The diplomat was left paralyzed. Mr. Gharakhanian, who had Iranian citizenship, helped scout out the target and delivered a letter to the United Press International's Los Angeles office in which the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) claimed responsibility for the attack.

After he was released on parole, Mr. Gharakhanian applied for refugee status and successfully fought a deportation order. Mr. Bell uses his case as one example that illustrates how Canada's generous immigration policy has fuelled the country's links to terrorism.

"He got a very light sentence. He was not deported because the
immigration judges felt sorry for him, and now he's about to become a citizen," Mr. Bell said of Mr. Gharakhanian. "That was our beginning. We treated a guy who was basically a terrorist sympathetically, and that set the stage for everything that's followed... We still see examples of that every day."





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


GALIP BALKAR

Belgrade/Yugoslavia

9 March 1983

Galip Balkar

An armed assault was made against Turkey’s Belgrade Ambassador Galip Balkar on 9 March 1983 by two terrorists. Mortally wounded in this attack, Balkar died on 11 March. A Yugoslavian student also lost his life in this incident. Terrorists Kirkor Levonian and Raffi Alexander were sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment on 9 March 1984, exactly one year after the
incident. (Feigl: "Balkar['s]... driver, Necati Kayar, is shot in the stomach. As the two assailants flee from the scene, they are bravely pursued by Yugoslav citizens. One of the terrorists shoots and wounds a Yugoslav colonel and is in turn apprehended by police. The second terrorist opens fire on civilians who are chasing him, killing a young student. The two terrorists, Kirkor Levonian and Raffi Elbekian, are tried and sentenced.")



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


DURSUN AKSOY

Brussels/Belgium

14 July 1983

Dursun Aksoy

A

Turkey’s Brussels Embassy Administrative Attaché Dursun Aksoy was murdered by Armenian terrorists. [Feigl: Three groups compete for the "honor" of having organized the death squad: ASALA, JCAG and the Armenian Revolutionary Army (ARA).]

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CAHIDE MIHCIOGLU

Lisbon/Portugal

27 July 1983

Cahide Mihcioglu

The Lisbon Embassy of Turkey was occupied and those within the building were taken hostage by five Armenian terrorists. Cahide Mihcioglu, wife of Embassy Counsellor Yurtsev Mihcioglu, was killed during this incident. The Portuguese police saved the hostages by an operation and killed all five terrorists. The attack was claimed by an organisation that called itself the Armenian Revolutionary Army, which threatened with death the Portuguese Prime Minister Mario Soarez, because of the death of the terrorists.(Feigl: "Five Armenian terrorists ... occupy the residence, taking Deputy Chief of Mission Yurtsev Mihcioglu, his wife and family hostage. When explosives go off, Cahide Mihcioglu, wife of the deputy chief of mission, and four of the terrorists are blown to pieces. Yurtsev Mihciolgu and his son, Atasay, are injured. The fifth terrorist is killed by security forces, while one Portuguese policeman dies in the clash. ARA claims responsibility.")

--------------
Aside from this case, in 1983,

On 16 June, a terrorist opened fire on the people at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Two persons were killed and twenty-one were wounded in this attack of which the author was killed on the spot. It was later ascertained that he was an Armenian.

A bomb exploded in front of the Turkish Airlines office in Paris-Orly Airport. Two Turks, four Frenchmen, one American and one Swede died and sixty-three persons, of whom twenty-eight were Turks were wounded in this attack, named later as the "Orly massacre".



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ISIK YÖNDER

Teheran/Iran

28 April 1984

Isik Yonder

Isik Yönder, husband of Turkey’s Teheran Embassy Secretary Sadiye Yönder, who was a businessman doing trade with Iran, was killed by an ASALA militant. (Feigl: "Two Armenian terrorists riding a motorcycle open fire on Isik Yonder as he drives his wife, Sadiye Yonder, to the Turkish Embassy where she works. Isik Yonder is killed. ASALA claims responsibility.")



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ERDOGAN ÖZEN

Vienna/Austria

June 20, 1984

Erdogan Ozen (1934-1984)

Turkey’s Vienna Embassy Labour Attaché Erdogan Özen was killed as a result of the explosion of a bomb planted in his car. This incident was claimed by the Armenian Revolutionary Army. (Five others were seriously wounded, including a policeman. Picture of mourning family below.)

ADDENDUM, 9-08: Mr. Ozen's murder is what led Erich Feigl to write "A Myth of Terror"; Feigl;s words on his friend (p. 6):

He had been an enthusiastic dedicated worker. His job had been to help Turkish workers in Austria and to take care of their problems. He had carried out those duties expertly and conscientiously. But there was more: I often heard him talk in those days of his eleven or twelve year old son, Murad. I saw the love in his eyes that tied him to his child and to his wife, Monika.



Ozen's wife, Monika, mourns with son Murat (A Myth of Terror)

Erdogan Ozen was born long after the end of the First World War and had absolutely nothing to do with the tragic events of 1915, which cost so many Armenian and Moslems their lives.

Moreover, I can say with absolute certainty, based on my friendship to him and everything I know about him: had Erdogan Ozen lived in those days and come into contact with needy or persecuted Armenians, he would have helped them.

In the same instant that I heard of the news of Erdogan's death, I decided to do something, something within the realm of my capabilities. After researching the subject thoroughly and meeting with a tremendous number of people, I made a series of films about this "myth of terror", and I wrote this book. The book, at least the large portion consisting of illustrations, grew out of the film work. The subject of the book is indeed a "myth"... in the true sense of the word. It is something from the realm of fiction and imagination, something that has been "made into a legend".

At the same time though, it is something absolutely alive and potent, as we can see from the acts of terrorism and their horrible consequences.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ENVER ERGUN

Vienna/Austria

19 November 1984

 

Enver Ergun

Enver Ergün, an official at the UN Representation of Turkey, was killed as a result of the explosion of a bomb planted in his car. (Feigl: while driving to work.) This incident too was claimed by the Armenian Revolutionary Army.

---------------------

A terrorist trying to plant a bomb on the car of Isil Ünel, Turkey’s Teheran Embassy Deputy Commercial Attaché, was blown to pieces as the bomb exploded in his hands on 28 March 1984.

The next day, Hasan Servet Öktem and Ismail Pamukcu, First Secretary and Deputy Attaché of the Turkish Embassy in Teheran, were wounded in an armed assault in front of their houses.

--------------------------------------------------------

IN ADDITION:
As reported by Erich Feigl, "A Myth of Terror":

Armenian terrorism appeared to slow down in the late 1980s, but attacks on Turkish diplomats did not come to an end:

October 7, 1991 Athens Gunmen fire four shots and kill Cetin Gorgu, press attache at the Turkish Embassy, in the Athens suburb of Pangrati. The attackers flee on foot. The Greek nationalist ultraleftist November 17 organization claims responsibility and says the murder was due to Turkey's presence in Cyprus.

December 11, 1993 Baghdad The administrative attache at the Turkish Embassy, Caglar Yucel, is assassinated while travelling in his car. Another attache, Huseyin Kerimoglu, also in the car, is slightly wounded. Iranian opposition movement Mujaheedeen Khalq claims responsibility, but says that Yucel was killed in a case of mistaken identity.

July 4, 1994 Athens Greek terrorists pump six bullets into Haluk Sipahioglu, the counselor at the Turkish Embassy in Athens. Sipahioglu initially survives but dies in hospital several hours later. The assassins escape in heavy traffic. November 17 claims responsibility again. Ankara criticizes Athens for lax security measures. A few months before the murder, the ultranationalist newspaper, Strohos, has published the names, addresses and telephone numbers of all Turkish Embassy staff, portraying them as targets.

--------------

The first act of November 17 was the assassination of Richard Welch in 1975. Since 1975, the organisation has carried out more than seventy armed actions against Greek, American, and Turkish citizens. Cumhuriyet reported on 9-12-03 that three suspects (Savas Ksiros, Dimitris Kufodinas and Vasilis Corcatos) were also accused of killing Cetin Gorgu and Haluk Sipahioglu, and for attempting to assassinate in 1991 an undersecretary named Deniz Bolukbasi. "Most of the suspects are expected to be sentenced to be life in prison."

ADDENDUM:

The following is provided as a supplement to the above descriptions of terror attacks.

Turkish Diplomats Killed by Armenian Terrorists
Below are 27 attacks against Turkish diplomats by Armenian terrorists
during 1980s. These events have been divided into four categories:

The first are instances in which a Turkish diplomat was killed and the
perpetrators were arrested, tried and convicted.

The second category describes instances in which convictions were
secured against perpetrators of attempted murders of Turkish
diplomats. Under American jurisprudence, the degree of culpability
between one who attempts a murder and one who succeeds is identical.
Thus, from a legal, if not rhetorical, standpoint this category and
the first are of equal impact.

The third category, instances in which a Turkish diplomat was killed,
but the perpetrator[s] escaped is of near equal relevance to the first
two categories because in each such case Armenian terrorists claimed
responsibility. In the strictest sense, there is no need for a
conviction when there is a confession.

The fourth category describes attempted killings of Turkish diplomats
in which the perpetrator[s] escaped. These are also important because
Armenian terrorists claimed responsibility.

Category 1: Turkish Diplomat Killed, Perpetrator[s] Arrested, Tried, and Convicted

1. January 27, 1973 - Santa Barbara, California, United States:
Gourgen Yanikian, an elderly U.S. citizen of Armenian origin,
assassinates Los Angeles Turkish Consul General, Mehmet Baydar, and
Vice Consul, Bahadir Demir, after inviting the Turkish diplomats to
his hotel suite to present the Turkish Government with a "gift." Soon
after killing the diplomats, Yanikian surrenders to police, is tried
in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of
Santa Barbara, is convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to
life imprisonment. Ten years later, California Governor George
Deukmejian, who is of Armenian descent, orders the release of
Yanikian, who dies of natural causes soon thereafter. The Armenian
Reporter, commemorates Yanikian, declaring that he had "opened [a] new
era of political struggle" and "changed the course of Armenian
history."

2. March 12, 1981 - Teheran, Iran: An Armenian gunman kills two
security officers in a failed attempt to take over the Turkish
Embassy. The gunman, Yeghia Keshishian, is apprehended, tried,
convicted, and executed by the Iranian government. ASALA claims
responsibility for the attack.

3. June 9, 1981 - Geneva, Switzerland: An Armenian gunman assassinates
Turkish Consulate Secretary, Mehmet Savas Yerguz, as he is leaving his
office. Swiss authorities apprehend Mardiros Jamgotchian. ASALA claims
responsibility for the assassination. Jamgotchian is convicted of the
murder and sentenced to 15 years, though he serves only 10 years. In a
communiqué in Beirut, ASALA vows to "destroy Swiss interests
throughout the world unless Jamgotchian is freed." ASALA then forms a
new branch, called the "Ninth of June Organization," which undertakes
a series of 12 attacks against Swiss targets worldwide. Though ASALA
claims responsibility, few arrests are made.

4. September 24, 1981 - Paris, France: Four Armenian gunmen seize the
Turkish Consulate, taking 56 people hostage for 16 hours. During the
siege, Armenian gunman Kevork Guzelian shoots and seriously wounds
Consul Kaya Inal and a Turkish security officer, Mr. Cemal Ozen. In a
statement issued in Beirut during the siege, ASALA's "Suicide
Commandos of Yeghia Kechichian" threaten that if Turkey does not
release certain "Armenian political prisoners," and if French
authorities intervene in the Consulate takeover, all of the hostages
will be executed." French negotiators approach the Consulate and then
retreat when gunmen waive a hand grenade from the window. Turkish
negotiators, however, successfully demand that the gunmen permit
Consul Inal and Officer Ozen to be taken to the hospital for medical
treatment. The gunmen eventually comply, but Officer Ozen dies upon
arrival at the hospital. Turkish negotiators reject the gunmen's
demand for the release of certain Armenian terrorists incarcerated in
Turkey. The gunmen then request political asylum in France in return
for surrendering to French law enforcement officers. The gunmen
surrender and admit their membership in ASALA. French authorities deny
the gunmen political asylum and proceed with criminal prosecution. The
French government states, "However sorrowful the historical events that
the perpetrators of this act invo[ked], the takeover was an
inadmissible assault on elementary human rights and becomes even more
intolerable because once again Turkish diplomats assigned to France
have been attacked." Guzelian and his accomplices are given seven-year
sentences. These arrests, prosecutions and convictions, lead to the
formation of the ASALA "September 24 Suicide Commandos" (a.k.a the
"September France Group") which subsequently strikes at French targets
in order to force the release of the four ASALA gunmen.

5. January 28, 1982 - Los Angeles, California, United States: Two
Armenian gunmen assassinate Turkish Consul General, Kemal Arikan, in
his automobile while waiting at an intersection. JCAG claims
responsibility. One of the assassins, Hampig Sassounian, a 19-year-old
Armenian American member of the JCAG, is arrested shortly thereafter.
Sassounian's father states on public television, "I am glad that a
Turk was killed, but my son did not do it." Sassounian's accomplice,
believed to be Krikor Saliba, escapes to Beirut. Los Angeles police
search Sassounian's automobile, seizing a .357 caliber bullet and a
one-way airline ticket from Los Angeles to Beirut. Police also search
Sassounian's home, where they seize a gun receipt, pistol targets, and
a manifesto of "The Armenian Youth Federation." Although Sassounian
pleads not guilty, the Court convicts him of first-degree murder and
sentences to life imprisonment. Sassounian's sentence is later changed
to 25 years-life in an appeal agreement in which he finally confesses
to the killing. On October 6, 1980 a first attempt was made on
Arikan's life, when his home was firebombed.

6. March 9, 1983 - Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Two Armenian gunmen
assassinate the Turkish Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Galip Balkar, and
seriously wound his chauffeur, Necati Kayar, in central Belgrade. One
of the gunmen, Antranig Boghosian (a.k.a. Harutiun Levonian), also
opens fire on and seriously wounds a Yugoslav Colonel, and is then
shot and apprehended by a member of the Yugoslav Secret Service.
Boghossian is paralyzed from his injuries. As the other gunman, Raffi
Elbekian, flees from the scene, Belgrade citizens pursue him. Elbekian
opens fire on the civilians, killing a young male student and wounding
a young girl. JCAG claims responsibility for the assassination.
Boghosian and Elbekian area convicted of murder and sentenced to 20
years. Both were released in 1987, after serving only four years. They
then lived underground in Greece, South Cyprus, and Lebanon until
1995, at which time they entered Armenia. Boghosian lives in Yerevan,
Armenia, and is said to reside with Alec Yenikomshian of ASALA, who
was convicted in Switzerland for the attempted murder of the Turkish
Ambassador.

Category 2: Attempted Killing of Turkish Diplomat, Perpetrator[s]
Arrested, Tried, and Convicted

Mourad Topalian on way to court

7. October 12, 1980 - New York, New York, United States: A bomb
planted under a stolen automobile parked in front of the United
Nations Plaza and Turkish Center, which houses the offices of the
Turkish Ambassador to the U.N. and the Turkish Consul General in New
York, explodes at 4:50 p.m., minutes before hundreds of employees and
tourists exit the United Nations building. The bomb, with the force of
nine sticks of dynamite, demolishes the automobile. Hurled metal,
glass, and flames injure five Americans. The explosion destroys a
vehicle parked across the street, and causes significant damage to the
11-story Turkish Center, and blows out the windows of nearby
buildings, including B'nai B'rith, Chase Manhattan Bank, the African
American Center, a travel agency and numerous apartment complexes.
Assistant New York City Police Chief, Milton Schwartz, expressed "It
is absolutely lucky that more people weren't injured." U.S. Ambassador
to the United Nations, Donald McHenry, condemned the attacks as
"savage and calculated terrorism." New York City Mayor Edward Koch
expressed that the incident "demonstrates forcefully that all
terrorism, no matter what form it takes, and no matter against whom it
is directed, must be condemned and punished." JCAG claims
responsibility. This incident was directed by ANCA Chairman Mourad
Topalian who, 20 years later, was convicted of related weapons and
explosives charges. He served 37 months in federal prison and is now
on supervised release.

8. April 8, 1982 - Ottawa, Canada: Armenian gunmen open fire on
Turkish Embassy Commercial Attaché, Mr. Kani Gungor, as he enters the
garage of his apartment complex. The following day ASALA issues a
statement, "We warn the Canadian authorities that any attempt to
persecute the Armenian community in Canada will not pass without
punishment." Mr. Gungor is left paralyzed by the shooting. Five
Canadian Armenian ASALA members - Nicholas Moumdjian, Haroutium
Kevork, Haig Balian, Haig Karkhanian, and Melkon Karakhanian - are
arrested. Three are convicted. In 1986, the Canadian Security
Intelligence Review Committee decides to deport!Moumdjian, claiming
that he conspired to assassinate Mr. Kani Gungor, that he had
purchased items that could be used to make a bomb, and that he
believed in the indiscriminate use of violence for political ends.
Moumdjian immediately appealed the 1988 decision of the Security
Committee to the Toronto Federal Court of Appeals. Before the appeal
process is completed, Moumdjian flees Canada, stating that he was
going to Armenia as a part of a "humanitarian mission." It was last
reported that Moumdjian had enrolled as a political science major at
York University.

9. October 22, 1982 - Los Angeles, California, United States: The FBI
arrests and charges four local Armenian Americans for conspiring to
bomb the Philadelphia Honorary Turkish Consul General, Kanat Arbay.
They are JCAG members recruited from the Armenian Youth Federation,
and include: Karnig Sarkissian, 29, of Anaheim; Viken Vasken
Yacoubian, 19 of Glendale; Viken Archavir Sarkissian Hovsepian, 22 of
Santa Monica; and, Dikran Sarkis Berberian, 29, of Glendale. A fifth
co-conspirator, Steven John Dadaian, 20 of Canoga Park, California, is
arrested at Logan International Airport!in Boston, as he exits the
aircraft with a briefcase containing five sticks of dynamite and the
components of a detonation timer transported from Los Angeles. The
five co-conspirators are called the "L.A. Five", which the FBI linked
to over a dozen bombings in southern California between 1980 and 1982
as well as the assassination of Turkish Consul General Kemal Arikan.
Speaking on behalf the Armenian National Committee of America, local
representative Leon Kirakosian "condemned this effort!by the FBI and
local police agencies to do Turkish dirty work against the Armenian
people." All five were convicted of various federal crimes, though
some were given sentences so light that no jail time was served. Two
of the five perpetrators, Hovsepian and Yacoubian, eventually are
granted U.S. citizenship by a federal judge. The U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit overturned this ruling. Pending the completion
of their last ditch appeals, Hovsepian and Yacoubian will be deported
to Lebanon.

10. March 28, 1984 - Teheran, Iran: Two Armenian gunmen attempt to
assassinate Turkish Embassy Administrative Attaché Ibrahim Ozdemir as
he leaves his home. They are apprehended by Teheran law enforcement
officers responding to a call by Ozdemir, who had been surveying the
gunmen that morning. ASALA claims responsibility. They are tried,
convicted, and given short sentences.

11. September 1, 1984 - Teheran, Iran: Iranian law enforcement
officers foil a plot by ASALA to assassinate the Turkish Ambassador to
Iran, Ismet Birsel. Though the conspirators are arrested, they are
later released without trial.

12. March 12, 1985 - Ottawa, Canada: Three Armenian Canadian gunmen, two Syrian-born - Kevork Marachelian and Ohannes Noubarian - and one Lebanese-born Rafi Panos Titizian, storm the Turkish Embassy, killing a Pinkerton security guard in the entryway to the complex. Turkish
Ambassador Coskun Kirca escapes by leaping from the second floor
window at the back of the embassy, breaking his right arm, right leg
and pelvis. The gunmen then take 12 people hostage, including the
Ambassador's wife, Bilge Coskun, teenage daughter and three children.
Four hours later, the gunmen, who come to be called the "Ottawa Three"
surrender to Pinkerton law enforcement officers. The "Armenian
Revolutionary Army" of the JCAG claims responsibility for the
attempted assassination.

Category 3: Turkish Diplomat Killed, Perpetrator[s] Not Arrested, But Responsibility Claimed by Armenian Terrorist Organizations

14. October 24, 1975 - Paris, France: An Armenian gunman assassinates
the Turkish Ambassador to France, Ismail Erez, also killing the
Ambassador's chauffeur, Talip Yener. ASALA and JCAG publicly dispute
which group deserves credit for the assassination.

15. June 2, 1978 - Madrid, Spain: Three Armenian gunmen open automatic gunfire on the automobile of the Turkish Ambassador to Spain, Zeki Kuneralp. The Ambassador's wife, Necla Kuneralp, and a guest, a
retired Turkish Ambassador, Besir Balcioglu, are killed. Spanish
chauffeur, Antonio Torres, dies later from his wounds. ASALA and JCAG
claim responsibility.

16. July 31, 1980 - Athens, Greece: Armenian gunmen attack Turkish
Embassy Administrative Attaché, Galip Ozmen, and his family as they
wait in their automobile at a traffic light. Mr. Ozmen and his
fourteen-year-old daughter, Neslihan Ozmen, are killed in the rain of
automatic fire. His wife, Sevil Ozmen, and his sixteen-year-old son,
Kaan Ozmen, are seriously wounded but survive. ASALA claims
responsibility.

17. December 17, 1980 - Sydney, Australia: Two Armenian gunmen
assassinate Turkish Consul General, Sarik Ariyak, and his bodyguard,
Engin Sever, as the Turkish officials are walking toward their
vehicle. Ariyak dies instantly and the bodyguard dies on the way to
the hospital. A spokesperson for the Australian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs states, "We deplore this violent and criminal incident and
hope those responsible are brought to justice." A statement by the
U.S. Department of State referred to the killings as "brutal murders"
and added, "The inviolability of diplomatic and consular personnel and
their premises, is fundamental to the conduct of foreign relations,
and to the maintenance of international order. We condemn all acts of
violence and we hope the guilty parties will soon be brought to
justice." JCAG claims responsibility, stating the killings were
" in retaliation for the injustices done to Armenians by the Turks in
1915." No arrests were ever made.

18. May 4, 1982 - Somerville, Massachusetts, United States: An
Armenian gunman assassinates Turkish Honorary Consul Orhan Gunduz
while he waits in his automobile in rush-hour traffic. The gunman
escapes. JCAG claims responsibility. The assassination occurs six
weeks after Mr. Gunduz was wounded in a bomb attack at his gift shop,
Topkapi Imports, on March 22, before which JCAG threatened that Mr.
Gunduz either resign as a Honorary Consul or be executed. Salespersons
at Topkapi Imports comment that neither the store nor Mr. Gunduz had
been given police protection despite the fact that the store had been
the site of the prior bombing. To help solve the murder of Orhan
Gunduz, local television and newspapers utilized a composite drawing
based on information provided by a witness in order to apprehend the
assassin. When the witness was subsequently gunned-down, all community
efforts to help apprehend the assassin came to a halt. The Somerville
Police Department and FBI were never able to apprehend the assassin.

19. July 14, 1983 - Brussels, Belgium: Armenian gunmen assassinate
Turkish Embassy Administrative Attaché, Dursun Aksoy, while in his
automobile waiting at a traffic light. ASALA and the "Armenian
Revolutionary Army" of the JCAG claim responsibility.

20. July 27, 1983 - Lisbon, Portugal: Five Armenian gunmen - "The
Lisbon Five" - storm the Turkish Embassy in Lisbon, killing a
Portuguese law enforcement officer and wounding another. A Turkish
security officer kills one gunman -Vatche Daghlian. Unable to take the
Embassy chancery building, the four remaining gunmen - Setrak Ajemian,
Ara Kuhrjulian, Sarkis Abrahamian and Simon Yahniyan - occupy the
Embassy residence building, where they take the Deputy Chief of
Mission (DCM), Yurtsev Mihcioglu, and his family hostage. As the four
remaining gunmen plant explosives in the residence building, the wife
of the DCM, Cahide Mihcioglu, accidentally detonates one of the bombs
killing the four gunmen. Mrs. Mihcioglu also dies in the blast, while
her husband Mr. Mihcioglu and son, Atasay Mihcioglu, survive their
wounds. The "Armenian Revolutionary Army" of the JCAG claims
responsibility for the attack, but blames Portuguese Prime Minister
Mario Saores for the deaths of the Portuguese law enforcement officers
and the five JCAG members.

21. April 28, 1984 - Teheran, Iran: Two Armenian gunmen riding a
motorcycle open fire on a diplomatic spouse, Isik Yonder, as he drives
his wife, Sadiye Yonder, to the Turkish Embassy where she works. Isik
Yonder is killed and Sadiye Yonder is injured. ASALA claims
responsibility.

22. June 20, 1984 - Vienna, Austria: A bomb explodes in a vehicle
owned by the Assistant Labor and Social Affairs Counselor of the
Turkish Embassy, Erdogan Ozen, killing Ozen and seriously injuring
five Austrian nationals, including two law enforcement officers. The
"Armenian Revolutionary Army" of the JCAG claims responsibility for
the attack.

Category 4: Attempted Killing of Turkish Diplomat, Perpetrator[s] Not Arrested, But Responsibility Claimed by Armenian Terrorist
Organizations

23. April 17, 1980 - Rome, Italy: In an assassination attempt, an
Armenian gunman shoots the Turkish Ambassador to the Holy See, Vecdi
Turel, seriously wounding him. The Ambassador's chauffeur, Tahsin
Guvenc, is also wounded in the attack. JCAG claims responsibility.

24. August 5, 1980 - Lyons, France: Two Armenian gunmen storm the
Turkish Consulate General and demand the location of the Consul
General. When the Turkish doorman does not answer, the gunmen kill
him, then open fire in the waiting lounge, killing one and wounding 11
visitors. ASALA claims responsibility.

25. April 3, 1981 - Copenhagen, Denmark: An Armenian gunman shoots
Turkish Embassy Labor Attaché, Cavit Demir, as he is entering his
apartment building. Mr. Demir is seriously wounded but survives after
a series of operations. ASALA and JCAG claim responsibility for the
attack.

26. March 28, 1984 - Teheran, Iran: Two Armenian gunmen attempt to
assassinate Turkish Military Attaché, Master Sergeant Ismail Pamukcu,
as he leaves for work, seriously wounding the diplomat. ASALA claims
responsibility.

27. March 28, 1984 - Teheran, Iran: Two Armenian gunmen attempt to
assassinate Turkish Embassy First Secretary, Hasan Oktem, seriously
wounding the diplomat. ASALA claims responsibility.

 Armenian terror targeted Turkish diplomats and their families, but their terror spree from 1973 to 1987* led to deaths, injuries, and property damage in nearly two dozen nations, in over two hundred terror incidents. More on Murdered Turkish Diplomats.

(*Attacks continued into the1990s, as well.)