A teenager wearing a helmet and a neo-Nazi-styled bullet-proof vest randomly stabbed five people near a mosque in Turkey on Monday while live-streaming the attack on social media, according to officials and local media.
The 18-year-old, identified as Arda K., broadcast the knife rampage on social media through a camera attached to his vest, HaberTurk television reported.
The teenager, who also wore safety goggles, gloves and a skull half-mask, was detained following a police chase, with Turkey’s interior minister posting a video of the suspect being bundled into the back of a police vehicle. The suspect’s bulletproof vest had a “black sun” symbol, which originated in Nazi Germany and is used by neo-Nazis.
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The victims had been relaxing at an open-air café after prayers at a mosque in Eskisehir, in northern Turkey, about 143 miles west of the capital Ankara.
The attack video was circulating on X on Tuesday and showed several men crying out after being stabbed. Many of the victims appeared to be elderly men and were attacked from behind.
Other footage online shows men and police standing over the suspect after he was apprehended.
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The five wounded individuals were hospitalized and two of them were in serious condition, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. The assailant was also carrying an ax but did not appear to have used it.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said an investigation had begun, while HaberTurk and other media reported the assailant is believed to have been influenced by a video game and that he dressed like a video game character.
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The interior minister also posted an image showing the items the suspect had on him, including a bloodied knife, a second knife with a swastika symbol with the letters “KKK” written on the weapon.
Yerlikaya also released an image of the suspect in handcuffs lying face down on the floor.
The official wrote on X that he wished a speedy recovery to the victims injured in the attack.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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