Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday expanded an investigation into the 2016 death of former Transport Minister Arif Ahmet Denizolgun after a new forensic expert report classified the case as a "suspicious death” and said homicide could not be scientifically ruled out, according to judicial sources.

The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is now investigating Alihan Kuriş and other suspects initially on suspicion of homicide, after a forensic expert reviewed video footage and photographs from Denizolgun’s autopsy, the sources said.

Denizolgun’s death had been officially attributed to natural causes linked to a brain hemorrhage following an autopsy in 2016. The new expert report, dated Aug. 25, questioned whether there was sufficient objective medical evidence to reach that conclusion.

The report identified four separate areas of bruising extending from beneath the right breast toward the center of Denizolgun’s chest. Bleeding was also observed in tissue beneath the bruises, which the expert assessed as indicating that the injuries occurred before death.

According to the report, the location and dimensions of the bruises could be consistent with pressure being applied to Denizolgun’s chest while his mouth and nose were covered, potentially causing suffocation.

The expert did not conclude that this was the definitive cause or mechanism of death. Instead, the report said the possibility that Denizolgun was deliberately killed through such a method could not be scientifically and objectively excluded based on the available evidence.

2016 autopsy report

Prosecutors have also opened an investigation into doctors who signed the Oct. 17, 2016, report by the Council of Forensic Medicine’s Morgue Specialization Department that classified Denizolgun’s death as natural and caused by a brain hemorrhage.

The new expert assessment said the original examination contained a forensic medical deficiency and found insufficient objective evidence to establish that the brain hemorrhage developed independently of chemical substances detected in Denizolgun’s body.

Toxicological examinations conducted during the original autopsy detected heavy metals including barium, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and nickel in tissue and decomposition fluids, according to the expert report.

However, the concentrations of the substances were not recorded, preventing experts from determining whether the levels were within expected ranges or whether they could have contributed to Denizolgun’s death or brain hemorrhage.

The investigation has also focused on the handling of the original autopsy video.

Prosecutors requested the recording on Feb. 24, June 1 and July 14 this year but were essentially told that no such footage existed, judicial sources said. Authorities were later informed on Aug. 18 that the recording existed, and it was subsequently provided to investigators.

A Council of Forensic Medicine administrator who had responded that the recording did not exist is now being investigated initially on suspicion of forgery of an official document, the sources said.

Body exhumed for further tests

Denizolgun’s body was exhumed on Aug. 19 as part of the investigation, allowing authorities to obtain new samples for forensic examination.

The expert report called for Denizolgun’s full medical history, material from the Sept. 8, 2016, autopsy and any remaining reference tissue samples to be reassessed alongside samples obtained from the exhumation.

Investigators will also examine phone traffic records, correspondence with the Council of Forensic Medicine and Riva Police Station, communications with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and records connected to Denizolgun’s estate proceedings.

Prosecutors said the investigation could be further expanded based on witness testimony and additional evidence.

The latest findings mark a significant shift in the decade-old case, replacing the previous assumption of a natural death with a broader inquiry into the circumstances and possible causes of Denizolgun’s death.

Former Minister Denizolgun was also the leader of the "Süleymancılar” group before Alihan Kuriş, who was recently remanded in custody, along with other suspects.

Kuriş described himself to prosecutors as the heir and representative of Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, an influential 20th-century Islamic scholar, and said he was a community leader. The "Süleymancılar” group originated as a religious movement named after Tunahan, Kuriş’s great-grandfather.

Initially operating through informal religious instruction in homes and mosques, the group later expanded across Türkiye through Quran courses and student dormitories, largely financed by membership contributions and donations. Over time, its activities expanded into commercial sectors including food, health care, tourism, textiles, construction and real estate.

10 arrested in Kuriş probe

The development comes as authorities pursue a separate investigation into what prosecutors describe as the Alihan Kuriş criminal organization.

Ten suspects detained during operations carried out on Aug. 21-22 were arrested after being referred to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to judicial sources.

Prosecutors said the wider investigation is examining the group’s alleged activities and financial structure, assets believed to have been obtained through criminal proceeds and individuals and organizations suspected of links to the group.

Authorities said both investigations remain ongoing.