Man held over attack on Turkish journalist in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

One suspect was sent to prison pending trial on Sunday on charges of "deliberately causing injury" in Thursday's attack on a prominent Turkish journalist and television presenter outside his Istanbul home.

On Oct. 1, Ahmet Hakan, a columnist for the Hurriyet daily newspaper and host of a TV show for the CNN Turk network, was assaulted by four attackers as he was about to enter his residence in the Nisantasi quarter of Sisli district.

He suffered a broken nose and ribs in the assault, according to media and hospital sources.

The detainee Ahmet Senguler was among seven suspects who were referred by Anti-Terror and Organized Crimes Bureau of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to Istanbul 6th Criminal Court of Peace. The other six were released by the court.

For three of the released suspects, the court imposed a ban on leaving the country along with judicial controls once a week.

Hakan -- despite being accompanied by a bodyguard -- was assaulted shortly after midnight local time by four attackers after presenting his late-night show, Tarafsiz Bolge, and leaving work in a private vehicle along with his driver and bodyguard, Hurriyet reported.

The bodyguard was held off by one of the assailants as the other three converged on Hakan, beating him before driving away, it added. Hakan was later discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.

CNN Turk is owned by the Dogan Media Group, which also runs many nationwide TV channels and newspapers, including Hurriyet, whose premises were the target of two attacks in early September.

ISTANBUL

He suffered a broken nose and ribs in the assault, according to media and hospital sources.

For three of the released suspects, the court imposed a ban on leaving the country along with judicial controls once a week.

CNN Turk is owned by the Dogan Media Group, which also runs many nationwide TV channels and newspapers, including Hurriyet, whose premises were the target of two attacks in early September.