Four of the seven people arrested in connection with the murder of 40-year-old Nizam Allanazarov appeared in court in Kyrenia on Friday, facing allegations related to the murder and drug possession.

The first suspect, a 30-year-old man, was charged with premeditated murder, illegal possession of a knife, and living in the north without residence documents.

According to newspaper Yeniduzen, police sergeant Uzeyir Kursat Koser told the court that the investigation has “only just begun”, and said he expects more statements to be taken and CCTV camera footage from nearby buildings to be examined.

He requested that the man have his remand in custody extended for a further seven days, and judge Mine Gunduz Serden acquiesced.

Next, three more men, aged 37, 33 and 31, appeared in court together, with a different police officer taking the stand.

The officer said the 37-year-old and the 31-year-old were travelling in the same vehicle as Allanazarov prior to the attack, and that during a subsequent search of that vehicle, five grams of illegal drugs were found in the vehicle.

He added that the 33-year-old was also found to be in possession of drugs at the time of his arrest.

Additionally, he said that the 33-year-old had been living in the north without residence documents since April 2023, and that the other two said the drugs in their possession had been given to them by Allanazarov.

The 37-year-old told the court that “I do not remember the incident” and that “I want to know why they arrested me”, while also asking to be examined at a hospital due to injuries sustained.

All three men’s remands were also extended for a further seven days, while judge Serden ordered that the 37-year-old undergo a medical examination.

The other three men who were arrested did not appear in court and were released as the police found no connection between them and the incident.

Allanazarov died after what the police described as a “dispute” in the car park of a block of flats on a street in the west of Kyrenia during the early hours of Thursday morning.

He was taken to the town’s Dr Akcicek hospital but succumbed to his wounds.