Dutch court begins trial of murder suspect identified by an informant
Just five days before a whistleblower who exposed a sprawling illegal gambling network was gunned down in the Netherlands, police briefly detained a key suspect in the killing after intercepting him in a car packed with weapons and bearing stolen licence plates, a Dutch court heard on Wednesday.
Cemil Önal had warned authorities for weeks that his life was in danger after he leaked details of what he claimed was a multi-million-dollar bribery ring linking organized crime to Turkish public officials.
Nevertheless, the former finance director for Turkish Cypriot casino kingpin Halil Falyalı, was gunned down on a hotel terrace in the southern town of Rijswijk, Netherlands in May 2025.
The suspect, Hasan Y., a 31-year-old Turkish national, was stopped by police on April 25 in the town of Barneveld in a vehicle with stolen plates. Officers impounded the car but released Hasan Y. It was only after his release that investigators searched the vehicle thoroughly and discovered a Glock pistol and ammunition inside.
By the time police realized what was in the car, it was too late. On a hotel terrace in the southern Dutch town of Rijswijk, Önal was shot dead.
Dutch prosecutors told the court that surveillance footage showed Hasan Y. and a second suspect—alleged to be the primary shooter—working in tandem for an hour leading up to the murder. Hasan Y. was captured on camera pacing near the hotel terrace just 15 minutes before the shooting.
Following the hit, both suspects fled on foot, shedding their outer clothing and firearms nearby. Dutch police later recovered the discarded items, including the murder weapon.
Prosecutors characterized the operation as a calculated hit, citing reconnaissance, interchangeability of roles, and a joint escape.
Hasan Y. was eventually tracked down and apprehended in Germany on a European arrest warrant.
The second key suspect, believed to have pulled the trigger, is currently held in France on separate weapons charges. Public prosecutors expect him to be extradited to the Netherlands following the conclusion of his French trial in October.
A third suspect, Bayram Bozkurt, a former Turkish prosecutor who was sitting at the terrace table with Önal when the gunfire erupted, has been provisionally released as authorities determine whether to press charges.
No masterminds behind the assassination have been publicly identified, and it remains unclear if investigators have zeroed in on who ordered the hit.
Önal originally managed the finances for Halil Falyalı, a powerful figure in northern Cyprus—a breakaway territory recognized only by Turkey—who allegedly generated $80 million a month from illegal gambling operations before his own assassination in 2022.
Turkish authorities accused Önal of being the "mastermind" behind Falyalı’s murder, a charge Önal vehemently denied. After Dutch police arrested him in December 2023 on an international warrant from Ankara, Önal fought extradition to Turkey.
While fighting his extradition, Önal turned whistleblower. In extensive interviews with OCCRP, he laid out the inner workings of the syndicate, claiming he personally facilitated roughly $15 million a month in bribe payments to ruling-party politicians in Turkey and northern Cyprus. He also alleged that his former boss maintained blackmail videos of influential figures.
In early 2025, Önal was released from prison pending a final extradition decision. Recognizing the grave risks to his safety, he and his attorney repeatedly alerted Dutch prosecutors that hitmen were tracking him.
The court adjourned Wednesday’s proceedings, setting the next hearing for Nov. 3 to give police time to finalize the case file.