Zirve defendant rejects he is the 'instigator'

Ruhi Abat continued his defense in trial of massacre at Bible publishing company. Suspect Ruhi Abat continued to defend himself at the 58th hearing of a case on the Zirve Publishing House killings. Raid and murders at The Bible publishing Zirve company's office in Malatya took place on April 18, 2007. Three employees were attacked, tortured and murdered by five assailants. Tuesday's hearing at the Malatya Third Criminal Court was attended by the defendants, their lawyers, the lawyers of the victims and wife of German Tilmann Echart Geske who was killed in Malatya at the Zirve Publishing House. Suspect Ruhi Abat of the Religion Department of Inonu University continued to present his defense on Tuesday. Abat underlined that the argument saying he was the instigator of the attack on the Zirve Publishing House was a detriment to reason. "There is no solid evidence that I was the instigator", Abat stressed. On arguments that he was a member of the National Strategies and Operations Department of Turkey (TUSHAD), Abat noted that he was not a member of any organization except public servants unions. The hearing will continue after a brief break. Pastor Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilman Geske were killed on April 18, 2007 at the Zirve Publishing House. The defendants of the case are Yunus Emre Gunaydin and four accomplices.