A teenager wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest stabbed five people near a mosque in northwestern Turkey before being arrested by police, official and media reports said on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old, identified as Arda K., broadcast Monday’s knife attack on social media via a camera attached to his vest.
The victims were relaxing after prayers at a mosque in Eskisehir, about 230 kilometers west of the capital Ankara. The video of the attack, in which several men scream after being stabbed from behind, circulated on X on Tuesday.
Turkish Interior Minister via X
The teenager was arrested after a police chase, according to the Eskisehir governor’s office. At the end of his livestream, men can be seen removing his bulletproof vest as he lies on the ground, surrounded by onlookers.
Another video circulating on X of the same scene shows him lying with his hands behind his back and the axe strapped to his vest.
The five victims were hospitalized, two of them in serious condition, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. The attacker also had an axe with him, but did not appear to have used it.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said an investigation had been launched, while HaberTurk and other media reported that the attacker was believed to have been under the influence of a video game.
