FBI statement that will shake the Gülistan Doku investigation: 'The governor's son fired, we moved the body onto the truck'

An important development occurred in the Gülistan Dok investigation.

It emerged that Umut Altan, who is wanted for arrest in the investigation into the Gülistan Dok case and who has sought asylum in the U.S., was questioned by the FBI for two days.

In the context of judicial assistance, the 34-page report sent to Turkey alleges that Umut Altan was shot inside a vehicle by Mustafa Türkay Sonel during the Gülistan Dok operation, that the perpetrator was transferred to the police, that after the incident the then-governor's protective officer Şükrü Eroğlu was called in, and that he claimed his father would handle the matter.

Altan also claimed that the perpetrator's body might have been buried in the Pertek route area, that after the incident the same vehicle was later returned to check the cameras, and that he confirmed to FBI agents that he was present at the crime scene during the incident.

A significant development took place in the Gülistan Dok investigation being conducted by the Cumhuriyet Chief Prosecutors' Offices in Erzurum and Tunceli. It emerged that Umut Altan, who is wanted for arrest, has been located in the U.S., has sought asylum, and was questioned by the FBI.

Was questioned by the FBI for two days.

During the judicial assistance process carried out with U.S. authorities, Turkey sent a comprehensive set of questions prepared to obtain Altaş’s statement to the American authorities. FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigators interrogated Altaş for two days on 19 and 20 August 2026 at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania.

In the FBI’s official letter dated 26 August 2026, it was stated that the FD-302 investigative report documenting the interrogation was prepared in response to Turkey’s request for judicial assistance. The file was transmitted to judicial authorities via judicial assistance channels through the Ministry of Justice’s Directorate General for Foreign Affairs and the European Union.

109-Page Set of Questions Prepared for Altaş

The FBI record notes that the Republic of Tunceli Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Altaş for intentional homicide, aggravated sexual assault, deprivation of liberty, and the destruction, concealment, or alteration of evidence. The judicial assistance request prepared by Turkish authorities contains a full 109 questions directed at Altaş.

Do You Believe Mustafa Türkay Sonel Killed Gülistan?

The most striking part of the FBI interrogation occurred when Umut Altaş was asked about his relationship with Mustafa Türkay Sonel. Altaş, for Sonel first“He used me”he said. When FBI agents asked how he was used, Altaş said that Sonel had used him“To kill Gülistan Doku and pin the crime on her”he suggested that he might have used her with that purpose.

In response, FBI agents directly“Do you believe that Mustafa Türkay Sonel killed Gülistan Doku?”asked. Altas shook his head.“Yes” answered.“Why do you believe this?”The answer he gave to the question was of a nature that would influence the course of the investigation: He said what he saw.

“Gülistan was in the back seat, he drew the gun and fired.”

According to Altaş's account to the FBI, the incident occurred on 5 January 2020. Altaş said that he and Mustafa Türkay Sonel went to the area where Gülistan Doku was, saw Doku by the bridge, and later claimed that Gülistan got into a BMW.

According to Altaş's narration, Sonel was in the driver's seat, he was in the front passenger seat, and Gülistan Doku was in the back seat. Altaş, inside the vehicle, Gülistan Doku's themselves"Leave me alone, why are you following me?"He claimed that he warned them in that manner, and after the argument he began to scream.

He then alleged that Mustafa Türkay Sonel drew a black handgun from his torpedo eye and shot Gülistan Doku. He also said that the weapon bore the Turkish flag. FBI officers asked Altaş whether he looked at Gülistan. Altaş "Yes” he said. “Was he dead?”to his question also “Yes. He gave the answer.

“We carried the corpse to the baggage”

According to Altan's account, the incident did not end there. Altan claimed that right after the arson he shouted at Mustafa Türkay Sonel, demanding to know why Gülistan was killed.

Sonel claimed that he told him to stay silent and to help carry the luggage into the trunk. Altan initially denied this, but eventually said that they, together with Gülistan Doku, carried the luggage into the BMW's trunk.

After the incident, the protective police contacted Şükrü Eroğlu.

In the statement Altan gave to the FBI, there were also very important allegations concerning the then Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel's protective officer Şükrü Eroğlu. Altan claimed that after the luggage was placed, Mustafa Türkay Sonel called Şükrü Eroğlu on the phone.

My father will handle this and take it from there.

Later, Sonel and Eroğlu spoke for about 15-20 minutes, and he said that he was kept outside the conversation. According to Altan, Mustafa Türkay Sonel said “Hush, don't tell anyone about this.”said. Altaş's“This issue will not be cleared up” said that Sonel's “My father will resolve this matter and clear it up.”claimed that.

Tomorrow Morning: “Don’t worry, it’s settled”

According to Altaş's claim, the next morning Mustafa Türkay called Sonel again. Altaş said that he asked Sonel what was going on, and that the answer he received was “Just don’t tell anyone anything.” he reported.

Altaş later told the FBI agents that he asked Gülistan Doku what had happened to her body, and that he said to Sonel, 'Where did you bury it?'

Marked the Pertek Road for the Body

One of the most important new allegations in the FBI record concerns the likely location of Gülistan Doku's body. According to Altaş's account, Mustafa Türkay Sonel said the body was found approximately 15–20 minutes from the crime scene toward Pertek.

Altaş later revised that distance to about 30 minutes. He explained that the area was a dirt road and that a new road was being built at the time, and suggested that the body might have been buried along the edge of the newly constructed road near Pertek. However, Altaş also noted that this was not an event he had witnessed himself but a guess based on information received from Sonel.

Base Records: Three Names in the Same Area

In the FBI inquiry, reduced base records obtained by Turkish investigative authorities and license plate recognition system data were also presented to Altaş.

According to the file attached to the inquiry, on January 5, 2020 at 22:09, Umut Altaş was in the vicinity of Sarısaltuk Viyadüğü, where Gülistan Doku was last seen. It was indicated that Mustafa Türkay Sonel was in that area between 22:08 and 22:37, and that Şükrü Eroğlu was also present in the same area at 22:08.

According to PTS data, the BMW used by Mustafa Türkay Sonel left the vehicle at 22.17.51, when only Sonel was in the car, heading from Tunceli toward Elazığ. The same vehicle returned toward Tunceli at 22.30.17, during which Mustafa Türkay Sonel was in the driver’s seat and Umut Altaş was in the front passenger seat.

FBI asked: “Why were you sent back to the bridge with the vehicle in which the crime was committed?”

These records conflict with Umut Altaş's first‑day account, prompting FBI agents to deepen the investigation. Altaş eventually said that, following the incident, he and Mustafa Türkay Sonel returned to the bridge area in the same BMW.

FBI officialsWhy did you turn back to the bridge with the vehicle in which someone had just been killed?he asked. According to Altaş's reply, Sonel,“We will go there to see if there is any camera.” he said.

The claim that “The cameras will not record”

In the FBI inquiry, a striking question was also raised about the university camera that captured the viaduct where Gülistan Doku was last seen.

Altaş claimed that Mustafa Türkay Sonel told him that the cameras would not record when they returned to the bridge. Altaş said he does not know who or how the camera recordings were deleted.

You know my power, I can kill you and your family.

Altaş also claimed that he was threatened after the murder. According to his statement, Mustafa Türkay Sonel to himYou know my power, I can kill you and your family.he said.

Altaş also Sonel'sWe are a state as a family, they can do nothing to us.He claimed to have spoken in that manner. He alleged that money was offered to him to keep quiet, that he did not accept it, but that he put money in Sonel's wallet.

Pregnancy and Abortion Allegation in FBI Interview

One of the most sensitive headlines of the file was the allegation that Gülistan Doku was forced to become pregnant and undergo an abortion. Altaş said he did not have direct knowledge on the matter during the FBI interview. However, when the content of a prior conversation with his former employer Rüstem Keskin was read to him, a significant development occurred.

The records showed that Altaş told Keskin that Mustafa Türkay Sonel had informed him that Gülistan had become pregnant, that he wanted her to have an abortion, that Gülistan screamed in refusal, and that he then shot her in the head with one hand and killed her.

FBI officers asked whether those words belonged to him. Altaş initially refused to answer. He then withdrew his decision, admitting that the statements were his. However, he immediately claimed that he might have been speculating about pregnancy and abortion and that he did not remember some details.

One-Time Video Allegation: Fragmented Corpse

Another striking headline in the FBI file was the WhatsApp video that Altaş told his former employer. According to the interrogation transcript, Altaş had previously said that Mustafa Türkay Sonel had sent him a video over WhatsApp that could be viewed only once; he described seeing a fragmented corpse in the video.

In the FBI interrogation, Altaş confirmed that he had received the video and that Mustafa Türkay Sonel had sent it. He said the video lasted a few seconds and showed a person holding a piece of a corpse. However, he argued that he could not definitively determine whether the corpse in the video belonged to Gülistan Doku.

When FBI agents reminded him of his earlier statement to his former employer that the person in the video was Gülistan, Altaş admitted that those words were his as well but claimed he could not see the image clearly.

Critical Question from the FBI: 'Were You There During the Murder?'

One of the most critical moments of the two‑day interrogation was question 91. Altaş was reminded of remarks he made to his former boss that implied he was with Mustafa Türkay Sonel during the murder, and he was asked explicitly...Were you with Mustafa Türkay Sonel and Gülistan Doku at the time Gülistan Doku was killed? Did you witness the incident yourself?was asked, “.”

Altaş's answer in the FBI transcript read as follows:“All of them, yes.”FBI agents later asked again, despite the contradictory statements he gave during the two‑day interrogation, whether his claim that he was at the crime scene during the murder was valid. Altaş confirmed that he was indeed at the scene.

Message to his father: “Stop Pretending, You Were the One Who Silenced Me”

One of the striking pieces of evidence in the file was also a WhatsApp message seized from the phone of Umut Altaş’s father, Celal Altaş. In the investigators’ phone examination, Umut Altaş’s father…'Stop acting. You were the one who silenced me.''It was determined that he sent the message. FBI agents asked Umut Altaş about the message.'

'Altaş admitted that he sent the message. However, he struggled to explain why he wrote it that way and said he could not remember. FBI officers said the message could imply that Umut Altaş was silenced because of the Gülistan Doku case and that his father played a role in sending it to the United States. Altaş said the decision to go to the U.S. was his own. When the inquiry was deepened, he said “''It was everyone’s idea.''He gave his answer.'

'Altaş said he flew from Turkey on 25 May 2022 from Istanbul to Mexico, and then crossed the U.S. border. He said that about $10,000 was paid to a Mexican citizen to facilitate illegal border crossing. According to Altaş, this money was paid directly to the relevant person by his father in Tunceli.'

The 27 December meeting at the Youth Center was also raised.

During the questioning, incidents allegedly occurring before Gülistan Doku disappeared were also on the FBI's agenda. According to a classified baseline study by Turkish authorities, between 15:31 and 16:22 on 27 December 2019, Umut Altaş was questioned about whether he had been at the same location as Gülistan Doku near the Youth Center.

Altaş said that he, Mustafa Türkay Sonel, and possibly Gülistan had been there. He recounted a girl walking, Sonel following her, and the two entering a building and returning roughly 15 minutes later.

When FBI agents asked whether the girl could be Gülistan, Altaş replied "It’s possible." Altaş did not confirm the claim that a clandestine meeting at the Youth Center involved drug use and a sexual attack on Gülistan.

After the inquiry, former governor faces serious charges.

Altaş "YesHe then asserted that the investigation had not been conducted fairly and accused the then‑Tunceli governor of trying to cover up the incident and refusing to hand his son over to justice.

The 34‑page file highlighted an important technical detail. The FBI specifically pointed out in the report’s opening and in the second‑day section that there was no word‑for‑word interpretation of Altaş’s statements, and that the text had been compiled by summarizing the content of the agents’ interview.

Phrase That Could Influence the Investigation's Content

Umut Altaş's testimony given in the U.S. is now in the hands of Turkish judicial authorities. The most critical points of the testimony are: Altaş's confirmation that he was in the vehicle and at the crime scene, the allegation that Gülistan Doku was shot inside the vehicle, the claim that the bullet was transferred to the bag, and the allegation that Şükrü Eroğlu entered the scene after the incident.My father will finish this job.his statement, the suspected body site on Pertek road, returning to the bridge in the same BMW, the claim about the camera footage, and sent to his fatherYou were the one who silenced mecreates the message

However, Altaş’s contradictory statements on some critical details during the interrogation, and the fact that some of his accounts of pregnancy, abortion, and the subsequent fate of the body rely on testimony rather than direct observation, mean that the claims in the FBI record are expected to be evaluated together with other evidence, HTS and PTS records, digital materials, and witness statements

In the investigation carried out by the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Offices of Erzurum and Tunceli, work to uncover what happened to Gülistan Doku and where the body was found is proceeding in a multifaceted manner