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World|life|April 1, 2015 / 09:35 AM
Prosecutor dies after Turkey hostage siege; 2 gunmen killed

AKIPRESS.COM - turkey A Turkish prosecutor and two gunmen who took him hostage have been killed after a shootout at a courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey.

Gunshots were heard and smoke was seen rising from the scene after special forces stormed the building. Mehmet Selim Kiraz was apparently taken hostage because he had headed an inquiry into the death of a boy during anti-government protests in 2013.

A banned Marxist revolutionary group is said to be behind the hostage taking incident. A statement posted online had said the prosecutor would be killed if the group's demands were not met, reports BBC.

Istanbul's police chief Selami Altunok said that police had negotiated with the gunmen for six hours, but eventually stormed the courthouse "because of gunshots heard from inside the prosecutor's office".

The two gunmen died during the operation, while Mr Kiraz was badly wounded and later died of his injuries, officials said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the attackers had posed as lawyers to enter the courthouse.

The gunmen had released dramatic images of a gun being held to the head of Mehmet Selim Kiraz as the hostage crisis unfolded.

The Turkish government banned live TV coverage of the incident, citing security concerns.

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