Autopsies on the bodies of nine Turkskilled in an Israeli raid on an aid ship bound for Gaza found theywere peppered with bullets and many were shot at close range, a British newspaper said Saturday.
Citing Yalcin Buyuk, the vice-chairman of the Turkish council offorensic medicine, which carried out the autopsies for the Turkish ministry of justice on Friday, the Guardian said the men were shot a total of 30 times.
One 60-year-old man was shot four times - in the temple, chest,hip and back, Buyuk said. A US-Turkish citizen was shot five timesat close range in the face, the back of the head, twice in the legand once in the back.
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Two other men were shot four times, and five of the victims wereshot either in the back of the head or in the back, Buyuk said.
The Israeli authorities and the activists had conflictingversions of what happened during the deadly pre-dawn raid on theaid ship on Monday.
Israel has said the commandos only opened fire after they cameunder attack with clubs, knives, guns and other weapons.
Bulent Yildirim, head of the Islamic charity Foundation ofHumanitarian Relief, which spearheaded the Gaza aid fleet, saidactivists used iron bars in self-defence after Israeli soldiers fired indiscriminately when they stormed the Turkish ferry MaviMarmara.
