Turkish police detains 22 suspects after hostage shootout

People attend the funeral ceremony of prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz at the Justice Palace in Istanbul April 1, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

ANKARA - The Turkish police Wednesday detained 22 suspects after the hostage siege in an Istanbul courthouse that killed a prosecutor, private Dogan News Agency reported.

The Turkish police department of southern Antalya province launched operation to free prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz who was taken hostage in the courthouse, the report said, adding the police detained 22 members of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) after Kiraz died of wounds by gunshots.

The detained suspects are mostly students in Akdeniz University, the report said.

Hakan Evcin, a lawyer affiliated with the detainees, said that the group was planning only to make a statement on Wednesday.

The DHKP-C, a far left group, has been listed as the terrorist organization by the Turkish state, European Union and the United States.

Kiraz was the prosecutor of Berkin Elvan, the youngest victim, who was shot by police in the anti-government protests in June 2013. Elvan died in March 2014 after over 200 days in coma.