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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