TERRORIST KILL FOUR POLICEMEN IN ANTALYA

UNCLAS IZMIR 0819 LIMITED OFFICIAL USE E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS; PGOV, TU SUBJ: TERRORIST KILL FOUR POLICEMEN IN ANTALYA ¶1. DECEMBER 8 EDITIONS OF ALL MAJOR DAILIES REPORT ATACKS ON TWO POLICE SHUTTLE BUSES IN ANTALYA AT APPROXIMATELY 1830 ON DEC 7. UNIDENTIFIED GUNMEN (NUMBER CHANGES FROM 3 TO 10 BY DIFFERENT PAPERS) SHOT AT THE BUSES CARRYING 50 POLICEMEN IN THE CITY CENTER IN THE VICINITY OF THE SECURITY FORCES' RESIDENTIAL BUILDING SITE. FOUR POLICEMEN, INCLUDING A POLICE CHEIF, WERE SHOT TO DEATH. THE TERRORIST ALSO SHOT AT THE HOUSES BELONGING TO THE POLICEMEN AND STARTED FIRES IN TWO BUILDINGS. NO ORGANIZATION HAS YET CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACKES. ¶2. IN TWO SEPARATE INCIDENTS LAST WEEK, HEP (PEOPLES LABOR PARTY) POVINCIAL BOARD MEMBER, IDRIS CELIK, AND A REGISTERED HEP MEMBER, YUSUF SOLMAZ, WERE SHOT TO DEATH IN ANTALYA. SECURITY OFFICIALS BELIEVE THAT THE MURDER IN BOTH ASSASSINATIONS IS THE SAME PERSON. YUSUF SOLMAZ WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY THE POLICE RECENTLY ON CHARGES OF COLLECTING FUNDS FOR HEP. HIS BROTHER IS REPORTED TO BE AN ACTIVE PKK MILITANT. ¶3. CONTACTS IN THE ANTALYA MAYOR'S OFFICE HAVE CONFIRMED THE INCIDENTS AND THE DETAILS DRAWN FROM THE PRESS ARTICLES REPORTED ABOVE. ACCORDING TO THE SAME SOURCES, THERE IS NO APPARENT CONCERN AMONG THE PUBLIC THAT SUCH INCIDENTS MIGHT HAMPER NEXT SEASON'S TOURISM INDUSTRY IN THE REGION, THOUGH THE POLICE INCREASED ITS SECURITY MEASURES EXTENSIVELY IN THE CITY. THE ATTACK ON THE SECURITY FORCES IS NOT THE FIRST ACT OF VIOLENCE IN ANTALYA; HOWEVER, IT IS REPORTED TO BE THE FIRST NON-KURDISH TARGET RECENTLY. PAST INCIDENTS INVOLVED CLASHES BETWEEN KURDISH SEPARATIST AND LOCAL SECURITY FORCES OR THE RAISING OF THE PKK FLAG IN THE CITY'S TOURIST ATTRACTION CENTERS. ZAJAC##