Brother demands evidence from former Turkish minister about possible M?T hand in sister's death

The brother of Serap Eser, the 18-year old victim of a fire bomb attack on an Istanbul city bus six years ago, has demanded information from a former interior minister, who recently said intelligence officials were involved in the attack.

?Why didn?t you do anything if know [the issue]? If you have learnt this recently, then share the evidence with us so that we can apply to the prosecutor?s office? Selçuk Eser addressed former Interior Minister ?dris Naim ?ahin, speaking to daily Hürriyet.

?ahin, today the leader of the tiny Milat Party, said in an interview with daily Bugün earlier this week that the incident took place before he became a minister of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

?I have unfortunately learned that the people who sabotaged the bus, throwing Molotov cocktails, were members of the National Intelligence Organization [M?T],? he said.

Serap Eser died in hospital on Dec. 12, 2009, one month after she was badly burned on the bus in which she was traveling.

Her brother said his family previously thought his sister had died in an attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK).

?But now someone from the top of the state says this is not true. ?The state killed Serap,? he says. What a sad thing is this. What shall we say now? Who shall we hold to account? Give us any evidence you have. I am looking for the killer of my sister,? Selçuk Eser said.

Daily Vatan reported last year that a suspect in the case, identified only as A.S., said at court that he was a member of the M?T, before the court put an end to the trial.

Vatan also claimed that the M?T had responded to the court, saying A.S. had been used as an intelligence operative in a number of incidents.