Turkish authorities have arrested the perpetrator of the attack, and the causes of the incident are being investigated.
An alarm was sounded on Monday afternoon in the Fatih area of Istanbul when a man broke into the Fatih mosque and stabbed two people. Initially, he entered the mosque and shouted, resulting in the mosque officials removing him due to the disturbance he caused.
Fatih Camii'ndeki saldırının görüntüsü ortaya çıktı. Saldırganı cemaat uzaklaştırdı.
— Yeni Şafak (@yenisafak) January 8, 2024
But then he re-entered the mosque and asked to speak with the imam. The result was over the altercation injuring the knife-wielding imam Galip Usta and a member of the mosque community who tried to intervene.
The two injured were taken to the nearest hospital, where, according to the Turkish media, they are being treated in stable condition, and their lives are not in danger.
Fatih Camii imamını bıçaklayan şahıs gözaltına alındı.
Göz altı esnasında tekbir getirdi !pic.twitter.com/YzBQcvxx0g— TÜRKİYE GERÇEKLERİ (@TurkiyeGercegii) January 8, 2024
"The imam of Fatih Mosque was stabbed three times in the chest, back and neck area. The most problematic point was the neck area. A partial intervention was made on his trachea. His condition is currently stable. There is no danger to life," stated the hospital's medical bulletin.
Bezmialem Vakıf Üniversitesi Başhekimi Alpaslan Mayadağlı açıklama yapıyor. https://t.co/03Mw2Reqy1
— TRT Haber Canlı (@trthabercanli) January 8, 2024
The Minister of the Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, informed that the authorities have arrested the perpetrator, and the General Prosecutor's Office is already investigating the causes of the incident.
The press representative of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, Ömer Çelik, condemned the incident.
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