Fethi Sekin: The Turkish Police Officer Life and Heroic Death
Everything we know about Fethi Sekin, the fallen hero of the Izmir courthouse terror attack
Who Was Fethi Sekin?
The life and death of a Turkish national hero
Fethi Sekin was born in 1973 in the village of Doğancık in the Baskil district of Elazig.
After finishing school in his hometown, he graduated from the Samsun Professional Police School on May 19, 1995.
The police officer’s first assignment was in Kilis. Sekin, who was later appointed to Bingöl, served in this city in 1999–2002.
Afterward, he was appointed to Izmir and served in the city’s courthouse security detail for about nine years.
Five years ago, while stationed in front of the Izmir Court, Police officer Fethi Sekin single-handedly prevented a terrorist attack carried out by the PKK and was shot and killed in the line of duty.
“Fethi was a very merciful, funny, smiling person who really loved his homeland and nation, and he proved this with his martyrdom.” — Gökmen Sekin, cousin of the police officer
How Fethi Sekin Possibly Saved Countless Lives
And became a martyr of the fight against terror
On January 5, 2017, at 4:10 p.m, Izmir local time, two heavily armed terrorists attacked a courthouse in Bayraklı, İzmir, Aegean Province of Turkey.
The assailants carried Kalashnikovs, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and hand grenades.
Fethi Sekin stopped the terrorists’ explosives-packed vehicle outside the main courthouse, thus possibly saving countless lives.
Sekin only had his service handgun and limited ammo, but he ran after and opened fire on the terrorists.
What followed was a deadly shootout between terrorists and security forces.
Sekin managed to take down one of the terrorists but ran out of ammunition and was shot as he tried to take cover.
The security team took down another terrorist while a third one managed to flee the scene.
The Legacy of Fethi Sekin
Courage in the line of duty
That day at the courthouse, Sekin was still mourning his mother, Hatun Fethiye Sekin, who had passed away two months before, on November 10, 2016 from cancer.
After Sekin’s heroic death, a requiem about his mother passing, he had sent to his uncle Mustafa Sekin via Whatsapp, went viral.
Sekin’s poetic eulogy was later published on the official website of the Turkish Public Advertising Agency (BIK) in Kurdish.
What a beautiful poetic voice, and what a loss to the world. The verses are powerful, and the words are heartbreaking.
We can feel how Sekin, his father, and his siblings couldn’t get used to Hatun’s absence, as he realizes our lives are but a fleeting moment in time.
This is Sekin’s legacy to humanity. A hero’s heart with a poetic soul. He knew that by taking action in the face of danger against overwhelming odds, he could save someone else’s mother or child.
Why is Fethi Sekin Remembered Today?
And will be remembered for years to come
Fethi Sekin became a hero and a beacon to those fighting against terror worldwide.
Even during troubled times, we look at Sekin’s courage, and it inspires us to stand firm in the face of terror.
Sekin example inspires us to love each other as one people and show solidarity to those who daily risk their lives to keep others safe.
Parting Thoughts
Remembering a Hero
On January 5, 2022, five years have passed since we lost Fethi Sekin.
Still, his memory lingers in the hearts of thousands who recall his ultimate sacrifice all over social media.
Thus, I also raise my voice and pay tribute to the fallen hero.
Sekin final resting place is located in the Baskil district of Elazig. May he rest in peace!
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