Kaplan granted retrial over charges of terrorism
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Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 01, 2005 09:43
An Islamic cleric, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to kill members of the country's ruling elite, has been granted a retrial by Turkey's Supreme Court, reported the Anatolian news agency. The court order was issued on Wednesday according to the source. Metin Kaplan was convicted of plotting to overthrow Turkey's secular state with a plan hatched in 1998 to fly an airplane into the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – the Republic of Turkey's founding father.
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The chief prosecutor has the right to appeal against the court's ruling.
Kaplan, who headed up a Cologne-based group known as the Kalifatstaat – or Caliphate State, served a four-year sentence in Germany for ordering the murder of a rival religious leader. He was was extradited to Turkey following the abolishment of the death penalty.
The radical cleric denied all charges of terrorism brought against him under the new anti-terrorism law of 2001, after being convicted of planning an attack on an Istanbul mosque.
The decision was overturned by the Supreme Court due to "deficiencies in procedures and investigation", reported the Anatolian agency.