Turkey - Elections - Freedom of the Press: ‘He will pay a heavy price’: Erdogan threatens Turkish editor-in-chief for scandalous report

President Tayyip Erdogan

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has publicly threatened the editor-in-chief of a Cumhuriyet daily for publishing a report, which showed police discovering weapons ready to be sent to Syrian rebels in trucks belonging to Turkish intelligence.

“This slander and this illegitimate operation against the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) are, in a way, an act of espionage. This newspaper got involved in this espionage activity, too,” Erdogan told the TRT public broadcaster.
 
The video published on the Cumhuriyet news website on Friday showed Turkish gendarmerie and police officers finding weapons due for dispatch to Syria on trucks belonging to the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).

The Cumhuriyet report said the footage was dated January 19, 2014, and described the arms in the trucks as weapons and ammunition.

Read more: ‘He will pay a heavy price’: Erdogan threatens Turkish editor-in-chief for scandalous report — RT News