An alleged militant from the Turkish Marxist-Leninist left wing organization, the DHKP-C, holds a gun to the head of prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz.(Photo: Ilhas News Agency via AFP/Getty Images)
ISTANBUL — Turkish officials said negotiations were underway Tuesday with gunmen who have taken hostage and threatened to kill the prosecutor of a high-profile political case.
"We are hoping that this will end without anybody getting hurt," Istanbul police chief Selami Altinok said in televised remarks. "Our negotiators are talking to the perpetrators."
Earlier Tuesday, suspected members of an outlawed leftist group stormed a courthouse in Istanbul, taking hostage the prosecutor for the case surrounding Berkin Elvan, a teenager killed after being hit in the head by a police gas canister during the 2013 Gezi Park anti-government protests.
The hostage-takers released photographs showing the prosecutor with a gun held to his head.
The militants belong to a group affiliated with the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), a banned Marxist group that has waged a long-running battle against the Turkish state and its security apparatus.
In a video posted online, a gunman lays out several demands, including a televised confession from the police officer who shot Elvan as well as a "people's court" to prosecute the police involved in Elvan's death. The militants threatened to kill the prosecutor if their demands were not met by 3:36 p.m. local time, a deadline that has passed.
Live television footage showed Turkish police and special forces officers entering the courthouse as it was being evacuated.
Turkey has since imposed a media ban on coverage of the Istanbul courthouse hostage crisis. Local media initially covered the unfolding situation, but Turkish television stations have cut their live broadcasts, citing a reporting ban.
Elvan was one of thousands injured in anti-government protests in Turkey. Elvan, who was then 14, had gone out to buy bread when was struck with a tear gas canister thrown by police during street battles with demonstrators in Istanbul.
He spent nearly nine months in a coma before he died in March 2014. His death sparked a new round of protests across Turkey. Since then, he has became a symbol of the alleged police brutality faced by protesters throughout the nationwide Gezi demonstrations.
Mehmet Selim Kiraz was appointed the prosecutor in the Elvan case six months ago. No charges have been brought so far against any suspects, and the investigation into Elvan's death continues.
The DHKP-C is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Turkey and the European Union. It is anti-American and anti-NATO.
The group, established in 1978, has targeted Turkish security officials, as well as American military contractors. Its high-profile attacks included the assassination of two U.S. military contractors, as well as a rocket attack against the U.S. consulate in Istanbul in 1992. In February 2013, a suicide bomber linked to the DHKP-C attacked the U.S. Embassy in the capital Ankara, killing himself and a guard.
The standoff came as large parts of Turkey were hit by a massive power outage. By late afternoon, about 90% of power was restored to Istanbul, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said. He said the cause of the outage is unknown,
More than 40 provinces as well as metro lines and traffic lights were reported to have been affected by the blackout. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that all possible causes were being investigated, including terrorism.
Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara in London
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