Son of woman shot dead on Amsterdam balcony could get 27 mos. in prison

The Public Prosecutor demanded 27 months in prison against Mehmet D., the son-in-law of the woman who was shot and killed on her balcony in Amsterdam Nieuw-West in January. It is believed that D. was the intended target of this murder. In court on Tuesday the 46 year old D. admitted that he had purchased a pistol after his mother-in-law's murder in January, Het Parool reports. The police informed him shortly after her death that he was likely the intended target of the assassination, and he claims he needed the weapon to defend himself. He claimed to know nothing about the machine gun found hidden in the home in Haarlem where he was hiding. D. was furious when he heard the sentence demand. "It is an insult against me to demand 27 months imprisonment. Am I being charged with murder or something? Come on now! I am a victim here, not a perpetrator!" he said as he was leaving the courtroom. D. is standing trial along with four other defendants. Against them the Public Prosecutor demanded prison sentences of between 8 months and three years. The harshest punishment demand was made against 44 year old Unal G. He was arrested along with D. in Haarlem in February. The Prosecutor believes that he was the one to supply D. with the pistol. He also had a loaded pistol in his waistband when he was arrested and the police found a fully automatic assault rifle in his bedroom. G. claims not to know about the rifle. Justice wants two years in prison against 42 year old Tacettin S. The police found five hand grenades, a machine gun and three double barrel shotguns in his home in Osdorp. The 34 year old Khalid G. should get one year in prison for being one of the suppliers of the guns and 38 year old Fikret D should get 8 months, the police found a pistol in a wardrobe in the house he shared with a girlfriend. A large part of the evidence against these five suspects come from intercepted telephone conversations and surveillance. After the murder of Beyhan Demirci, the investigating detectives received a tip that son-in-law Mehmet D. was buying weapons from Unal G. and Tacettin S. In intercepted conversations, the three talk about a "small one" and a "big one". The Prosecutor believes they were discussing the pistol and machine gun. The other two suspects appeared on the radar in other conversations. In her indictment, the Public Prosecutor points to the series of previous assassinations in Amsterdam, in which heavy automatic weapons were also used. She calls Demirci's death a sad example of this. She states that she understands that D., who seems to have been the intended target, has been living in terror of his life. "But it needs no argument that the experience of such a threat can not justify the possession of heavy firearms." The defendants' lawyers can enter their pleas on Wednesday.