The attack was carried out by Turkish Gendarmerie personnel Ali Kaya, Özcan İldeniz, and Veysel Ateşwho, who were caught in the act by local residents.
[9] According to Abdülkadir Aygan, one of the defendants, Ali Kaya, had previously worked under JITEM commander Cemal Temizöz.
Other items retrieved from the car included rifles, official documents, and "a list with the bombed bookstore marked with a red cross.
"[13] Several hours later, during the local prosecutor's subsequent investigation of the scene, Gendarmerie Sergeant Tanju Çavuş opened fired on the surrounding crowd, killing one and injuring four.
The European Commission declared that "The disproportionate character of this decision raised questions on the independence of the [Board] from other state institutions.
"[16] In 2006, Ali Kaya, Özcan İldeniz, and Veysel Ateş were sentenced to over 39 years in prison for murder and membership of a terrorist organization by the Van 3rd High Criminal Court.
[19][20] Police Department Intelligence Unit Chief Sabri Uzun was also sacked in early 2006, having said "The burglar is inside the house" in reference to the case.
[3] In May 2007, former Democracy Party deputy Mahmut Alınak was sentenced to 10 months in prison under Article 301 for his remarks about the Şemdinli incident, in which he described Parliament and the General Staff of Turkey as doing the bidding of the Counter-Guerrilla in protecting those responsible.