An 18-year-old man, identified only as Arda K., is suspected of wounding five people in a knife attack on Monday at an outdoor cafe near a mosque in Eskisehir, Turkey, according to media and government reports.
The suspect was wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest, and the attack was broadcast live on social media via a camera attached to the vest. ABC NewsThe report quoted Turkish media.
The video shows the gunman talking to the camera and walking towards customers in the cafe, and also shows him stabbing people with a knife as bystanders flee the scene. (Related article: Four American teachers stabbed in public park overseas, police say)
An 18-year-old Turkish man, a Nazi sympathizer, attacked five people with a knife and an axe in Eskisehir, seriously injuring two.Translator) #EskisehirAttack I #HateCrime I #turkey I #Nazi sympathizers
🔗https://t.co/DDuc5FfFro pic.twitter.com/rPlT39N1Dw
— Media News (@medyanews_) August 13, 2024
Another video shows the aftermath of the attack after police arrested the suspect, who can be seen handcuffed and lying face-down on the ground with bystanders and officers standing around him.
🚨 Five injured in mass stabbing attack in Türkiye
Police have arrested an 18-year-old masked man after a stabbing attack in the northwestern city of Eskisehir left five people injured.
The attacker, wearing a helmet, skull face covering and bulletproof vest, stabbed five people as they sat in chairs. pic.twitter.com/fHWCbga089
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 13, 2024
Reports said the attack occurred near the Tepebashi mosque, where the victims were relaxing after evening prayers. The state-run Anadolu news agency said the attackers were also armed with axes but did not use them in the attack. The Eskisehir governor's office reported that the attackers were arrested after a police pursuit.
Anadolu Agency reported that two of the five victims remain in a critical condition, and Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said a thorough investigation was being carried out to determine the motive for the attack.
The gunman was found to be in possession of symbols and paraphernalia linked to neo-Nazis and far-right extremism, including a bulletproof vest emblazoned with the “black sun” symbol often associated with Nazi ideology. Türkiye's One MinuteInvestigators reportedly found a manifesto full of racist slurs that the suspect allegedly posted online.
If the reports are accurate, this would be Turkey's first Nazi-inspired attack, Turkey Minute noted.
