Alparslan Çelik: I'm not so sure he is who we think he is

Thanks mostly to the Russian and Turkish press, the world met Alparslan Çelik the other day--the Turkmen Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) member who excitedly bragged of having sniped the parachuting Russian pilot of the downed SU-24.

But I'm just not buying it.  Oh, sure, he probably DID shoot the pilot.  I'm saying that, crazy as it sounds, it's not outside the realm of possibility that he was merely doing Russia's dirty work for them.  It hasn't quite sunken into the Beltway pundits' heads just how crazy Russia's leadership actually is.

Aside from the suspiciously over-the-top Russian (and Russian-influenced) media narrative, which reeks of the same, regurgitated agitprop as MH-17, it fits just all too nicely with Russia's foreign policy goals in the region.

In fact, the same can be said for the Metrojet airliner bombing and the bombing of the PKK demonstration before that.

What am I saying?  Am I saying that Russia potentially bombed their own commercial aircraft or their own Kurdish allies in Turkey?

Well, yeah.

I am beyond 100% convinced that ISIS is, with the help of Qatar, Dawood's D-Company and Iran, a creation of the Russian government (more on that in future articles), and it's not like there isn't an existing precedent for bombings like that.  It's a question of whether or not one understands Russia's goals in the region, or the Russian leadership themselves.  (More on Russia-ISIS in future articles)

Moreover, the "Grey Wolves" appear to have a history with the KGB.  Indeed, there are ties between a number of MHP politicians and Russia, it's not implausible that Russia could somehow be involved.  It would certainly serve Russia's interests.  And Russia's ever-deepening alliances with far right Nationalist groups in Europe and elsewhere is no secret.

Finally, knowing what I know about the Paris bombings, I think there could be support for the idea that Alparslan Çelik is in fact the opposite of what he seems.  After all, aren't the Grey Wolves involved in the Crimean Blockade?

More on the Paris bombings in future articles...