A Turkish teenager was sent to jail on Wednesday after his first appearance in court over the murder of Turkish Armenian editor Hrant Dink, whose funeral on Tuesday drew 100,000 people onto the streets of Istanbul. He was later ordered to be held in Bayrampasa prison while the prosecution prepares charges against him. Samast said in a four-page statement to police that he had carried Dink’s photograph for several months and had practised shooting for several days before travelling to Istanbul. He said he had also received money for the killing. Murder carries a life sentence in Turkey, but as a minor Samast would face a sentence of some 18-24 years if found guilty.
Turkish newspapers said police had detained a student in Trabzon on suspicion of involvement in the killing and published a photograph of him with the leaders of an ultranationalist political party amid media speculation about nationalist links to the plot.
