IHH head probed for allegedly funding al-Qaeda

Bülent Yıldırım, who sponsored the 2010 Gaza flotilla, may have ‘aided’ al-Qaeda with funds, Turkish media report

Footage from the Mavi Marmara security cameras shows activists on board as they prepare to attack incoming IDF soldiers on May 31, 2010. (IDF Spokesperson/Flash90)
Footage from the Mavi Marmara security cameras shows activists on board as they prepare to attack incoming IDF soldiers on May 31, 2010. (IDF Spokesperson/Flash90)

The president of the IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) organization, which sponsored the Mavi Marmara Gaza flotilla in summer 2010, is currently under investigation on suspicion that he transferred funds to al-Qaeda, the Turkish daily Hürriyet reported Friday, citing a report by Haber Türk.

Bülent Yıldırım, who heads the IHH, was said to have been investigated by the Istanbul authorities on suspicion of “providing financial aid to al-Qaeda” through his foundation, an Istanbul-based humanitarian NGO with an Islamic bent.

The investigation into Yıldırım’s al-Qaeda ties was reportedly conducted in secrecy both in Istanbul and Diyarbakir.

In 2010, the IHH purchased three vessels with the intention to breach the blockade on Gaza. Many IHH activists took part in the flotilla, and several of the those who were killed in the incident were members of the organization.

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