07:11⇢Ancient Torah Manuscript Seized in $1.5 Million Smuggling Operation
⌨Turkish newspapers report on three key stories today. A major antiquities bust occurred in Istanbul with authorities intercepting a 1,200-year-old Torah manuscript on parchment with gold writing, valued at $1.5 million, along with ancient coins (Hürriyet, Milliyet). Several sources cover a breakthrough in the "Deniz Baykal tape conspiracy" case, with reports of a former police chief arrested in Ankara, described as a key FETÖ operative in the scandal (Cumhuriyet, Sabah, Yeni Akit). The Syrian crisis continues with reports of 943 civilian deaths and warnings of potential civil war from Colani (Gazete Duvar), while one source criticizes government silence on massacres while suppressing protests (Birgun).