Alaattin Çakıcı (1953) is a senior Grey Wolves member who was arrested after the Turkish military coup of 1980 and charged with the murder of 41 leftists. Upon his release, Çakıcı was recruited by the Turkish intelligence service as a hitman, targeting leftists and pro-Kurdish groups. In 2004, he was eventually convicted of multiple murders and sentenced to 19 years in Sincan Closed Prison.
Behind bars, Çakıcı received special treatment and even unique restaurant-made meals. Çakıcı continued to threaten journalists from prison who investigated his crimes, stating “They will be punished by the people who love me in Turkey or abroad.” He also reminded President Erdoğan to whom he owed his electoral dominance. “You are not the master of the state,” said Çakıcı. “Don’t forget, you are only a traveler, and the idealists as well as the Turkish nationalists and all patriots, no matter which ethnic group they belong to, operate the shelter.”
Çakıcı’s crimes did not prevent MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli from calling for his release in 2018, describing him as a “brother who loves his nation and his country”. Bahçeli's wish was granted in 2020 and Çakıcı was freed. In 2021, he was described in a police report as Turkey’s “biggest organized crime boss”. Despite this, two years later, Çakıcı was once again acquitted of charges relating to organised crime. He retains close ties to Turkey’s ruling class. One of Çakıcı’s closest advisors was pictured meeting with the commander of the nation’s second-largest law enforcement agency in March 2023.
