31.05.2026 16:00
Police patrolling the Edirnekapı walls detained 17-year-old A.H.K. on suspicion, seizing a knife from his person and finding photos of the Semih Çelik murder, satanic imagery, and messages containing a murder plan targeting his 16-year-old girlfriend on his mobile phone. The detained youth was hospitalized in a mental institution, while his girlfriend was released under judicial supervision.
Following the Semih Çelik murders that shook Turkey, a disaster was narrowly avoided at the historic Edirnekapı city walls. Police patrol teams caught a 17-year-old suspect preparing to kill his girlfriend, preventing a new atrocity at the last moment.
At the Istanbul city walls where, on October 4, 2024, 19-year-old Semih Çelik brutally murdered Ayşenur Halil and İkbal Uzuner half an hour apart, a similar disaster was prevented thanks to the vigilance of security forces. The increased security measures and intensified police patrols in the area following the double murder uncovered a new murder plot.
WHAT WAS FOUND ON HIS PHONE WAS SHOCKING
According to a report on NTV, last week, police teams patrolling around the historic walls became suspicious of a male and female, aged 16 and 17, wandering around the walls. When the teams approached them and conducted a body search and identity check, they discovered chilling evidence. A knife was found on the 17-year-old male, and an examination of his phone revealed photos related to the brutal murder committed by Semih Çelik, as well as numerous images related to Satanism and serial killers.
MURDER PREPARATION IN MESSAGES
Retrospective examinations of the suspect's phone revealed the scale of the danger. Examining the messages the suspect sent to his girlfriend clearly showed he was preparing for a new murder. The two young people, who were found to be in a relationship, were immediately taken into custody by police teams. After legal procedures at the police station, the court ruled that the 17-year-old waiter A.H.K. be hospitalized for treatment at a mental and nervous diseases hospital. The suspect's 16-year-old girlfriend E.D. was released under judicial supervision.
REMINDED OF THAT UNFORGETTABLE ATROCITY
This second prevented disaster at the historic walls brought back memories of the atrocity on October 4, 2024. Murderer Semih Çelik had brutally killed 19-year-old İkbal Uzuner on the Edirnekapı walls and then committed suicide; during a police search of his home, the body of Ayşenur Halil, also 19, was found. In the aftermath of this double murder that caused public outrage, the concept of 'incel,' meaning 'involuntary celibate' and centered on misogyny, was debated in Turkey for a long time.