Turkey arrests teen who live streamed knife attack on five elderly people
The attack by an 18-year-old suspect on five members of the public rattled Turkey.
ANKARA — A man who stabbed five people and live streamed his attack in Turkey’s northwest was arrested, local authorities said on Tuesday.
In a video shared by Turkish media late Monday, the assailant, wearing a skull face mask, black helmet and protective eye gear, was seen mounting a camera on himself before attacking elderly people on a street in the northwestern province of Eskisehir, causing shock and fear.
The governor's office in Eskisehir on Tuesday identified the 18-year-old assailant by his initials A.K. and said that an investigation was launched over the incident.
The suspect didn’t have a prior criminal record, the statement added. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said the attack on random people was being investigated “with great diligence.”
“The suspect, A.K., who injured five people by randomly attacking individuals with a sharp object on the streets of Eskisehir, has been caught and taken into custody,” Tunc posted on the social media platform X.
The assailant was suspected to be influenced by a video game, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported.
Some local media outlets reported that the suspect wrote a 16-page far-right racist manifesto before the attack, but the claim has not been confirmed as of this writing. Authorities also slapped a broadcast ban on the video and images of the attack.
