Newspaper owner sets rival's office ablaze on live stream, alleges corruption to Erdoğan
Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- A newspaper owner in Ankara, Turkey, set fire to a rival newspaper's office and broadcast the act live on Facebook.
- The suspect accused the rival newspaper's owner and a local district governor of corruption.
- Police have detained the suspect and launched an investigation into the arson.
In Şereflikoçhisar, Ankara, a shocking act of violence unfolded as Yunus Emre Işılak, owner of Şereflikoçhisar Hisar Newspaper, set fire to the office of his rival, Tuzgölü Haber Gazetesi, owned by Yusuf Özdemir. The incident, broadcast live on Facebook, saw Işılak directly address President Erdoğan, alleging widespread corruption involving Özdemir and the local District Governor, Taner Tengir.
Işılak's fiery act, which engulfed the newspaper office in flames, was accompanied by accusations against local officials, including AKP District Chairman Levent Sarıkaya. He defiantly stated, "You can be proud of yourself with this visual you see from this environment," directing his words towards the governor and party chairman.
There is a lot of corruption and impudence in our district. No one can stop it. Yusuf Özdemir, the owner of Tuzgölü Haber newspaper, is doing a lot of corruption in our district with the AKP and Şereflikoçhisar District Governor behind him.
This is not the first instance of conflict between Işılak and Özdemir; reports indicate a long-standing feud, with Işılak having assaulted Özdemir in his office last year. The arson was eventually extinguished by firefighters, and an investigation has been launched. The incident highlights a disturbing level of personal animosity and alleged corruption within local media and governance in the region, prompting a swift police response.
You can be proud of yourself with this visual you see from this environment.
Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.