4 Poisons Found in Late Turkish President's Remains - Report

Four different poisonous substances have been detected in the remains of former Turkish President Turgut Ozal, forensic tests indicate, according to a Turkish media report.

Sources from Turkey's Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) have told Today's Zaman that Ozal may have been poisoned with four separate poisonous substances.

Ozal, whose body was exhumed from his İstanbul grave as part of an investigation into the circumstances of his death, was killed by a highly deadly poison, according to a report that appeared in a Turkish newspaper earlier this month.

Among poisonous substances which were found in Ozal's remains were DDT, DDE, as well as radioactive elements Americium and Polonium, the report says.

Experts have also detected the presence of cadmium in his body, according yo Today's Zaman.

Halil Turgut Ozal (October 13, 1927 – April 17, 1993) was Prime Minister of Turkey (1983–1989) and President of Turkey (1989–1993). As Prime Minister, he transformed the economy of Turkey by paving the way for the privatization of many state enterprises.

Ozal died on April 17, 1993, of a suspicious heart attack while still in office, leading some to believe in an assassination plot. His wife Semra Ozal has claimed for years he was poisoned by lemonade and she questioned the lack of an autopsy.

Curiously enough, the Turkish President died after a reception at the Bulgarian Embassy in Ankara, held on April 16, one day before him passing away. He, allegedly, drank the lemonade precisely at that reception.