Tuesday, 22 February, 2022.
Halil Falyalı and his driver Murat Demirtaş were ambushed while in their vehicle which was sprayed with bullets from an automatic weapon in Çatalköy on 8 February. The driver died at the scene and Halil Falyalı died later from his injuries in hospital.
Leaders of an organised crime group, Mustafa Söylemez, his brother Mehmet Faysal Söylemez and three other suspects were arrested as part of the investigation launched in Turkey after Falyalı’s assassination.
Three other suspects who were arrested earlier in three separate raids between 9 and 17 February were released on bail.
Halil Falyalı, who was well-known in the Turkish Cypriot business community, was at the centre of allegations regarding his leading role in the illegal online betting businesses that he ran in North Cyprus, alongside claims of related money laundering activities.
He was also accused by self-exiled Turkish gangster Sedat Peker who, in a series of videos posted online, claimed Falyalı that had secretly videotaped guests in his hotel, including politicians, in order to blackmail them.
