Turkey has initiated inquiries with Somalia after the departure of the son of Somalia’s president, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, following a fatal traffic collision involving his use of a diplomatic vehicle, a Turkish official disclosed.
Reports from Turkish media indicated that Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, while driving a vehicle affiliated with the Somali consulate, struck a motorcycle courier on Nov. 30 in central Istanbul, resulting in severe injuries to the courier.
The Turkish official, speaking anonymously due to an ongoing investigation, highlighted that the Somali president’s son was utilizing a car bearing a diplomatic license plate during the incident.
“Someone who does not have diplomatic status has no right to use these vehicles,” the official added. “Information was requested about this (from Somalia).”
The absence of “immunity or diplomatic exceptionality” diminishes the significance of the diplomatic plate on the vehicle, the official added, noting that Turkey’s justice ministry is overseeing the case.
Attempts to obtain comment from Somali officials were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
Following his release from police questioning on Dec. 2, the Somali president’s son departed Turkey, while the 38-year-old motorcyclist, Yunus Emre Gocer, remained hospitalized, as confirmed by an Istanbul prosecutor’s office on Friday.
Tragically, Gocer passed away on Dec. 6 in the hospital, prompting an international arrest warrant for the Somali president’s son, as stated by the prosecutor’s office.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced an investigation into the police officers involved in the initial accident assessment via a social media platform X on Sunday.
The incident’s media coverage has sparked public outrage in Turkey, a country known for its amicable relations with Somalia.
“We said we will follow the judicial process, but the suspect walked away,” Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Friday in a post on X.
