18-year-old with Nazi symbols stabs people
Suddenly, a masked man appears at a tram stop in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. He's wearing a helmet, a bulletproof vest, and a right-wing extremist symbol. Wielding a knife, he attacks and injures several people, streaming the incident live on the internet.
An 18-year-old randomly stabbed people in the western Turkish city of Eskisehir, injuring five. The attacker was arrested, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced, without commenting on the motive. Three of the injured are in intensive care, according to the state news agency Anadolu. Several reports mentioned seven injured.
The attacker reportedly wore the right-wing extremist "Black Sun" symbol on his chest, consisting of multiple swastikas. The young man filmed the attack and live-streamed it on X. In the video published by the news agency DHA, the suspected attacker is seen looking into the camera, then charging at people with a knife.
Voices crying for "help" can be heard in the video, according to the daily newspaper "Cumhuriyet". A policeman running behind the 18-year-old and asking, "Who are you? What do you want?" is also visible.
The attacker targeted people waiting at a tram stop near a mosque, "Cumhuriyet" reported. A policeman on his way to duty noticed the attack and pursued the assailant, eventually apprehending and detaining the young man until more police arrived. There was no known relationship between the victims and the attacker.
"Cumhuriyet" also reported that the attacker neither shouted nor provided a motive. The newspaper suggested the young man was influenced by "war games". Witnesses told Anadolu that the attacker grew up and lived reclusively in the Eskisehir neighborhood where the attack occurred.
- The police are currently investigating if the attacker's actions were influenced by any extremist groups, given that he was wearing the "Black Sun" symbol, which is associated with certain far-right movements, particularly within the European Union.
- The European Union's Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, issued a statement condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with Turkey, emphasizing the importance of combating all forms of extremism and terrorism in Europe and beyond.
