(www.cihannews.com) вЂ" Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, the winner of 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature, left on Thursday to attend a series of conferences.
Pamuk, along with an official guard, told reporters at Ataturk Airport that he was flying to New York for a "cultural" trip. Pamuk added that he was scheduled to deliver speeches at Columbia University and some other institutions, reports Trend.
An official guard accompanied Pamuk during his check-in.
Pamuk, who was tried under the Article 301 of Turkish Penal Code, was assigned official protection following the murder of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was also tried under the same article for "insulting Turkishness".
One of the suspects, who was detained in connection with the murder and reported to be the inciter of the killer, threatened Pamuk, urging him "to be smart" as he was brought to prosecution office two weeks ago.
It was also debated whether Dink had formally requested police protection, which the police sources denied.