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  • A photo has been released on social media showing someone pointing a gun at the head of Kiraz
    A photo has been released on social media showing someone pointing a gun at the head of KirazTwitter
  • Special forces have cordoned the Istanbul courthouse where the prosecutor was taken hostage.
    Special forces have cordoned the Istanbul courthouse where the prosecutor was taken hostage.Twitter

Even as Turkey was dealing with the massive blackout in the country, reports claim that a banned political outfit, Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), have taken a government prosecutor hostage in Istanbul courthouse on Tuesday evening.

Mehmet Selim Kiraz, the prosecutor at the Istanbul courthouse, was taken hostage in connection to a case involving the killing of Gezi victim Berkin Elvan, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Reports claim that the suspected DHKP-C gunmen fired shots in the air before taking the prosecutor hostage. The suspected rebel members later released images showing a rebel militant holding a gun at the head of Kiraz. One image shows the gunman standing against the background of the DHKP-C flag, while another image focuses on an id-proof of the hostage.

The DHKP-C reportedly have released a statement in which it has given authorities until 3:36pm local time to meet the demands of the group.

The far-left group has asked for a live confession by the police officers suspected of killing Elvan, the prosecution of the officers responsible in a "people's court" and the acquittal of all people being tried for participation in solidarity rallies for Elvan.

Police, in the mean time, have cordoned off the entire sixth floor of the building and special teams with hostage negotiators have been dispatched to the spot.

Teenager Elvan was heavily injured during a police crackdown in Istanbul's Okmeydanı district on 16 June 2013, when he was out to buy bread. He had died on 11 March 2014 after being in comma stage for about nine months.

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