06.11.2026 13:20
The mother of teacher Ayşe Sena Demir, who lost her life in the armed attack in Afyonkarahisar in which 8 people were killed, said she learned from television what had happened to her daughter. The grieving mother, noting that the school principal told her her daughter had had a minor accident, said, "A fire fell into my heart." It emerged that the elderly couple killed in the massacre had planned to return to Izmir two days later.
After the alleged armed attack carried out by Arif Sefa Özdemir in the İhsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar, in which 8 people lost their lives, the relatives of those who died spoke. Hayrunissa Demir, the mother living in Antalya of Science Teacher Ayşe Sena Demir, who was killed in the massacre, told how she learned of her daughter's death and about her dedication to her profession. Details that emerged about the lives of Seydi Ahmet and Satı Aydoğmuş, the couple who lost their lives in the attack, deepened the pain as well.
SHE LEARNED WHAT HAPPENED TO HER DAUGHTER FROM TELEVISION
Hayrunissa Demir said that while she was watching news on television about the armed attack in İhsaniye, the principal of the school where her daughter worked called her. Stating that she was suspicious of the principal's call, the grieving mother described those moments as follows:
“A caption passed on television about the incident in İhsaniye. The phone rang. Mr. Principal called. I thought there was an extraordinary situation regarding Mr. Principal's call. I asked, ‘Mr. Principal, is there an incident?’ He said, ‘No, Teacher Sena was involved in a small accident.’ I said, ‘I saw it on television. A murder case. I hope it’s not that.’ Mr. Principal said, ‘No, it has nothing to do with that.’ But of course, a fire fell into my heart. At first I believed it, then I understood the color of the matter.”
“MOTHER, NEVER CALL DURING CLASS”
Demir, who said her daughter was bound to the teaching profession with great love, said that Teacher Ayşe Sena was especially happy to work in village schools. The mother, who stated that her daughter, who graduated from Hacettepe University as the top student of her semester, had been a teacher for 15 years, described the importance she gave to her students with these words:
“She was a teacher who went to school with great enthusiasm, loved village schools very much, tried to illuminate the horizons of village children, constantly did experiments with them and prepared for class. She was very idealistic. When there was an emergency, when I called my child, she would absolutely not answer the phone. She would say, ‘Mother, never call during class, no matter what.’ Despite being this idealistic and a teacher of many years, she would go prepared for class. She was a teacher of 15 years.”
SHE GAVE IT TO THOSE IN NEED SAYING “I WILL NOT BRING IN HARAM MONEY”
Her mother, who said that Ayşe Sena Demir did not only teach her students lessons but also tried to instill in them honesty, justice and environmental awareness, also shared a memory showing her daughter's professional ethics.
Demir stated that during the pandemic, the fee for a few classes her daughter could not attend was deposited into her account, and said, “When the money for 3-4 classes she could not attend while traveling during the pandemic was deposited, she was a teacher who called me and said, ‘Mommy, you take this, give it to those in need; I will not bring in haram money.’”
Demir, who said her daughter had considered studying pharmacy but believed that teaching provided more benefit to people, said that she was very happy with her life in the village and the time she spent with her students.
“I WILL CONTINUE TEACHING IN MY DAUGHTER’S MEMORY”
Hayrunissa Demir, who stated that she left teaching last year, announced that she would continue volunteering to teach in order to keep her daughter's memory alive. The grieving mother, who said she especially wanted to teach children who cannot access educational opportunities and need special education, used the following statements:
“I left teaching last year. I have goals such as voluntarily teaching children who cannot receive education and require special education, teaching them reading and writing, and providing behavioral training. Of course, after my child was murdered so brutally, I will continue in her memory.”
“I THINK SHE DID NOT LEAVE BECAUSE SHE DID NOT WANT TO ABANDON HER FRIEND”
Demir also recounted what was conveyed to her about the moment of the attack, saying she thought her daughter might not have fled because she did not want to leave another teacher in the vehicle alone. Emphasizing that this was her own assessment, the mother alleged that the attacker took one of the teachers out of the vehicle and that the teacher begged not to be killed.
Demir stated that her daughter was alive when she was taken to the hospital and recounted that she lost her life during surgery due to blood loss. The grieving mother expressed her deep pain with the words, “I never think that she is dead.”
THE ELDERLY COUPLE WAS GOING TO RETURN TO İZMİR 2 DAYS LATER
A heart-wrenching detail also emerged about the lives of Seydi Ahmet Aydoğmuş (73) and his wife Satı Aydoğmuş (68), who lost their lives in the massacre. It was learned that the couple, who lived in İzmir and spent the summer months in their hometown of Kıyır village in Afyonkarahisar, planned to return to İzmir only 2 days after the attack.
It was stated that the Aydoğmuş couple, who had two sons, one daughter and 8 grandchildren, went to Afyonkarahisar for shopping on the day of the incident and were attacked about 1 kilometer before reaching their village on the way back. It was reported that a funeral ceremony would be held for the couple, who were known in the village for their helpful and hospitable personalities.
“THERE WERE THE LIFELESS BODIES OF TWO PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD”
Kıyır Village Headman Lütfi Yaşar recounted that a citizen who called him on the day of the incident said there was a white vehicle on the road and two people lying motionless in front of the vehicle. Stating that he then went to the scene, Yaşar said, “When I went to the scene, there was a white minibus in the middle of the road and the lifeless bodies of two people in front of the vehicle. At first we could not identify them; we thought they were strangers. However, later we learned that those who lost their lives were our villagers Seydi Ahmet Aydoğmuş and his wife Satı Aydoğmuş.”
Yaşar, who stated that he did not think the couple who lost their lives had any enmity with anyone, said they were people who were loved in the village and lived quietly.
IT WAS ALLEGED THAT THE ATTACKER HIJACKED THE COUPLE’S VEHICLE
Sharing the information he obtained about how the attack took place, Headman Yaşar alleged that the suspect came to the area in his own vehicle, killed the Aydoğmuş couple, and then fled by hijacking the couple's vehicle.
Yaşar recounted that the suspect left his own vehicle on the road with its doors open, and after killing İsmail Şen, whom he encountered about 500-600 meters ahead, he continued on his way.
He said that when they arrived at the scene, they closed the road to traffic for security reasons and informed the gendarmerie.
THE SUSPECT'S VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY ATTACKED
Meanwhile, it was determined that the car parked in front of the home of suspect Arif Sefa Özdemir in Hasan Karaağaç Neighborhood in Afyonkarahisar city center was attacked by an unidentified person or persons on March 17. It was learned that Özdemir, who applied to the police after the incident, filed a complaint, stating that his vehicle had been rendered unusable.
It was stated that the suspect, who lives in Bozhüyük village in İhsaniye district and earns his living by farming, got married in 2021, divorced 3 years later, and is the father of one child. It was reported that Özdemir's ex-wife and child were taken elsewhere, and that gendarmerie teams took security measures in front of his house.
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