Police Arrest Suspect After Eight Killed in Shootings Across Western Turkey

Turkish authorities have arrested a suspect following a series of gun attacks across rural areas of western Afyonkarahisar province that left eight people dead and one person injured on Thursday. The suspect was apprehended in the neighbouring province of Eskişehir after a coordinated regional manhunt, according to local officials and state media.

The shootings occurred at multiple locations in the rural northeast of the province. State-run news agency Anadolu reported that three victims were killed near the village of Ayazini and three others near Kiyir village. In Yukaritandir, two women sustained serious injuries and subsequently died after being transported to a hospital. Local media reported that two schoolteachers were among those killed in the attacks, and victims were discovered inside three separate vehicles.

Following the shootings, security forces launched a large-scale police operation and temporarily closed access roads leading to the affected villages. Media outlets broadcast CCTV footage depicting a man wearing a black jacket, white trousers, and glasses, holding a long firearm beside a red minivan. The newspaper Milliyet reported that a vehicle allegedly commandeered by the shooter was later found immobilized in mud, forcing the suspect to abandon the car and escape on foot before his eventual capture in Eskişehir.

The Afyonkarahisar Governorate issued an official statement confirming that state security and administrative bodies had been deployed immediately to coordinate the response. The governorate stated that all relevant institutions of our state have been working in coordination since the very first moment and are meticulously carrying out the necessary work. Authorities have not yet disclosed a motive for the attacks as investigations continue.

Written by Thorben Thiede thorben.thiede@alpineweekly.com