A gang accused of working to influence the course of politics and manipulate society from behind the scenes for the ultimate purpose of overthrowing the government is increasingly suspected of the murders of three Christians in Malatya last year.

Ever since the investigation began into the killing of three Christian missionaries at the Zirve Publishing House in the eastern province of Malatya on April 18, 2007, the case has been shrouded in mystery. Though the murders first appeared to be motivated by hatred toward the three publishers -- Necati Aydın, Uğur Yüksel and Tilmann Geske -- working at the publishing house, phone calls placed over the six months preceding the murders by the five suspects -- Emre Günaydın, Hamit Çeker, Abuzer Yıldırım, Cuma Özdemir and Salih Gürler -- have revealed unexpected connections.

The lawyers of the victims’ families have insistently pointed at what appeared to be conscious attempts at obscuring evidence, asserting that this was not a simple hate crime perpetrated by five bigots.

In his court testimony, suspect Günaydın described in detail a man named Bülent Varol, later established by the court as Varol Bülent Aral, with whom he met frequently. “In those days, we went to a house with him. He told me that missionary activities were seeking to destroy our motherland. He said Christian missionaries were connected with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party [PKK].” Günaydın explained in his testimony that he “volunteered” for the job, in return for a promise of “state support” given by Bülent Varol.

Varol is not unconnected to the Ergenekon trial. He is the owner of a personal daily planner found by the police in the Malatya bus terminal in January 2008 in the course of the Ergenekon investigation. The planner lists the names and phone numbers of two key Ergenekon suspects currently under arrest pending trial, Kemal Kerinçsiz and Zekeriya Öztürk. In the planner, of which Aral has confessed ownership, are more notes about the Ergenekon terrorist organization and Veli Küçük, a former general who is also currently in jail facing charges of being one of the leaders of the group. In the notes, a sentence referring to Küçük reads, “His new duty is on the military wing.” While Aral admits the planner is his, he says all the notes are fictional and were meant as flashcards for a novel he plans to write in the future.

Another person, identified in court records as Ercan G., an inmate at Hilvan Prison, also testified in the investigation into the planner. Ercan G. and Aral shared a cell at the same facility -- Adıyaman Prison -- between March 23 and May 24, 2007. According to Ercan G.’s testimony, Günaydın visited Aral in jail at some point during this time.

Varol, who was called to testify in the ninth case hearing on July 4 but was a no-show, will be compelled to appear at the 10th hearing scheduled for today. His testimony could prove vital both to the development of the Ergenekon investigation and the mystery of the Malatya murders.

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