Five Minarets in New York 2010

Two anti-terror officers from Istanbul are dispatched to New York City to locate Hadji Gümüş, Haluk Bilginer whom they suspect is the man they’ve codename Dajjal, a terrorist behind attacks in Turkey. The mission quickly becomes personal as Hadji is found in his New York home and taken into custody by FBI agents during a moment of prayer. His Christian wife, Maria, Gina Gershon, and his American friend, Marcus, Danny Glover (a devout Muslim convert), stand with Hadji and rally a circle of close friends and family who refuse to abandon him, convinced of his innocence despite the charges.

Hadji sits on an Interpol list but has no US criminal history, which leads to an extradition decision back to Turkey. The two Turkish escorts, Acar Mustafa Sandal and Firat Mahsun Kırmızıgül, carry the burden of transporting him home as legal scrutiny unfolds. Acar, fluent in English, becomes a vocal critic of FBI senior agent Becker Robert Patrick, whose hostility toward Muslims and the Islamic faith amplifies the tension across borders and institutions.

The film uses the post-9/11 climate to explore Islamophobia on both sides of the Atlantic, asking a difficult question: does innocence still matter when the desire for vengeance runs deep? As events unfold, Firat’s certainty about Hadji’s guilt clashes with Acar’s growing belief in Hadji’s innocence, pushing Acar to urge Firat to acknowledge a mistaken chase. Yet Firat clings to the claim that Hadji is the key, complicating loyalties among the men and testing their sense of justice.

Back in Turkey, the real terrorist leaders are eventually captured, and the investigation reveals a painful twist: Firat’s father was said to have been killed by Hadji in the 1970s, a history that casts doubt on motives and twists the path of the pursuit. In a jarring turn, the truth emerges that Firat had been the one guiding the hunt all along, and the reveal forces a reckoning among the agents about where vengeance ends and justice begins.

Ultimately, Hadji is cleared and released, but he wishes to reunite with his mother before returning to the United States. Acar and Firat insist on accompanying him and Maria as a gesture of apology for the ordeal endured by Hadji and his loved ones. The reconciliation takes a tragic turn when, at his mother’s home, Firat’s grandfather fatally shoots Hadji, prompting Acar to respond in a swift, deadly moment of justice. The conclusion leaves questions hanging about forgiveness, duty, and the costs of fear-driven actions.