An 18-year-old man randomly injured at least five people, reportedly under the influence of a video game.
Turkish police have arrested a teenager who stabbed at least five people in a mosque in the northwest of the country on Monday.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday that an investigation had been launched, but did not elaborate on the motive for the attack in the city of Eskisehir. Local media have speculated that the attack, which was broadcast live by the girl, may have been influenced by a video game.
The attacker, who was wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest, attacked the tea garden of a mosque. He was caught by police after a manhunt, according to the Eskisehir governor’s office.
Local media reported that the 18-year-old suspect, identified as Arda K., broadcast the attack live on Channel X.
Five people were taken to hospital, two of them in serious condition, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. Other media reported seven people were injured.
Haber Turk and other media reported that the attacker may have been influenced by a video game.
In addition to the bulletproof vest and helmet, the images he broadcast showed him wearing glasses over a mask, completely concealing his face. News sites claimed he was wearing a “black sun,” a Nazi symbol consisting of several swastikas, on his chest.
He also carried an axe on his waist but did not appear to have used it, according to local media.
The attacker did not shout or express any motive for his actions, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported, adding that his appearance suggested he was “under the influence of war games.”
Türkiye, along with other countries, has seen a wave of random knife attacks in recent months.
A man stabbed two people to death last month in the eastern province of Bingol, wounding seven others, local media reported.
In January, a man was arrested after attacking an imam and a member of the group at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul.
“Infuriatingly humble alcohol fanatic. Unapologetic beer practitioner. Analyst.”
