VZCZCXRO0503
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHIT #2145 3421607
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081607Z DEC 06
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6436
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS ISTANBUL 002145 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER PGOV TU
SUBJECT: POLICE RAID LEFTISTS IN TEN ISTANBUL NEIGHBORHOODS 
 
¶1.  (SBU) On the afternoon and evening of December 7, Turkish 
National Police (TNP) counter-terrorism (CT) units  raided 10 
addresses in Istanbul's Gazi, Kucukcekmece, Gultepe, 
Okmeydani, Umraniye, Kartal, Sultanbeyli and Kucuk Armutlu 
neighborhoods, arresting 20 suspects following a six month 
investigation.  During the police action in the Gazi 
neighborhood, leftists reportedly gathered around a Alevi 
religious center (Cemevi), built a makeshift barricade and 
threw Molotov cocktails at police.  The group was dispersed 
by police but only after they overturned and set on fire two 
cars. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front 
(DHKP/C) is a militant Marxist-Leninist party.  It was 
originally formed in 1978 as a splinter faction of Devrimci 
Yol (Revolutionary Way), a splinter from the Turkish People's 
Liberation Party - Front (THKP-C), itself a splinter from Dev 
Genc.  The group holds an anti-U.S., anti-NATO position and 
considers the Turkish government to be under the control of 
Western (U.S.) imperialism.  They seek the violent overthrow 
of the Turkish state.  DHKP/C assassinated two U.S. military 
peronnel in 1991 and wounded an Air Force officer.  On 
January 9, 1996, the group assassinated prominent Turkish 
businessman Ozdemir Sabanci and two others.  In February 
2006, Fehriye Erdal was convicted in Belgium in connection 
with the Sabanci assassination.  While under house arrest 
following conviction, she escaped. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Simultaneous police raids in multiple neighborhoods 
are unusual.  These raids may be partially in response to 
DHKP/C attacks on neighborhood bars and "centers of gambling 
and prostitution" that took place on September 22 in 
Kucukcekmece and other Istanbul neighborhoods.  At the time 
of the attacks on the bars, DHKP/C called for "collective 
resistance movements" against "nationalist mafia gangs" who 
they view as "collaborators with the oligarchy."  Turks 35 
and older have bitter memories of the street clashes between 
the extreme left and right of the 1970s.  Alevis are 
frequently associated with left wing political parties, but 
not necessarily extremists. 
JONES