A suspect has been arrested after eight people were fatally shot in a series of attacks across villages in Afyonkarahisar, a popular tourist area in western Turkey. Two teachers are among the victims, and one other person has been seriously injured.
Attacks across rural villages
The shootings occurred in several locations on Thursday, November 5, in rural Afyonkarahisar. The attacker opened fire with a shotgun, killing victims in Yukarıtandır, Ayazini and Kıyır before fleeing, Turkish news agency DHA reported. Afyonkarahisar is located midway between the capital Ankara and the coastal city of Izmir.
“Unfortunately, in the armed attacks that occurred in our province, eight of our citizens have lost their lives, and one citizen has been seriously injured,” the Afyonkarahisar Governor's office said.
Search and arrest
Road blocks were implemented after police and gendarmerie officers launched a major search for the suspect. A red car, believed to belong to the suspect, was first found stuck in mud in the rural area of Taslike in the district of Eskişehir. The suspect opened fire on officers, but authorities closed in and apprehended him, according to reports. Two officers are understood to have sustained minor injuries in the arrest. The suspect is now in custody.
“The perpetrator of today's armed attacks in Afyonkarahisar was apprehended alive within our province's borders as a result of a joint operation by our Provincial Gendarmerie Command and Provincial Police Department teams,” a statement from the Eskişehir Governor's Office reads.
Victims and linked attack
Two teachers were killed in the attacks. A regional head of education says that the teachers were from İhsaniye Yukarıtandır Secondary School. Another attack is also being linked, where a woman was shot inside a car in the Osman Gazi neighbourhood of Afyonkarahisar at around 3.30pm on Thursday. She was rushed to hospital after sustaining serious injuries.
A statement from the Afyonkarahisar Governor's Office on the incident continued: “In order to fully clarify all aspects of the incident and to ensure the process is carried out in a correct manner, all relevant institutions of our state have been acting together from the first moments of the event. They are meticulously continuing the necessary work. The judicial process is being conducted with utmost care under the coordination of the Afyonkarahisar Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.”
