A German-Turkish soccer player whose car was shot at on a German highway is in a “safe place” and receiving police protection after the apparent assassination attempt, his lawyer says.
Deniz Naki, who plays in Turkey and is known for his pro-Kurdish views, was unharmed in the shooting late Sunday which he believes was linked to his criticism of the Turkish government.
The 28-year-old tells German media his SUV came under fire from a black van on the A4 motorway near the western town of Dueren, leaving two bullets lodged in his car.
“I was afraid for my life,” says German-born Naki, who plays for the third-tier club Amedspor in the majority-Kurdish city of Diyarbakir. “I am a walking target in Turkey because of my pro-Kurdish stance,” he is quoted as saying.
German prosecutors have opened an investigation into attempted murder, and police officers have since taken Naki to “a hidden location” as a precaution, his lawyer Soran Haldi Mizrak tells the DPA news agency.
— AFP
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