ANKARA, Turkey, May 17 (UPI) -- The man who shot five Turkish judges was shouting Islamic slogans as he opened fire, according to local news reports.
One senior judge was killed and four others wounded in the capital Ankara's Council of State Court Wednesday when an armed man burst into a meeting and began shooting.
The assailant has been identified as 30 year-old lawyer Alpaslan Aslan, registered with the Istanbul Bar Association.
Judge Mustafa Birden is in critical condition with gunshot wounds to his head, while Judge Mustafa Ozbilgin died after being shot in the abdomen. Their three colleagues remain hospitalized.
AKI news agency reported from Istanbul on Wednesday that eyewitnesses described Aslan shouting, "Allahu Akbar" and "We are the soldiers of God" after opening fire on the judges.
Turkey's resurgent Muslim fundamentalists have harshly criticized the court for its hard-line secularist position on such controversial issues as headscarves, which generate fierce criticism in the press.
Earlier this year, Council of State Court president Sumru Cortoglu said, "If we have been targeted because of our decisions how can we decide impartially?"
