07.03.2026 14:31
Details have emerged regarding the brutality of the arson at an entertainment venue in Etiler and the subsequent murder of the business owner, Yusuf Durmuş, the following day. As the moment of the arson was captured on camera second by second, one of the 18-year-old suspects who was arrested confessed in his statement that he was paid 150,000 TL for the job. The other suspect stated, "While setting the club on fire, he shouted, 'If we burn it, they won't be able to extinguish it.'" It was claimed that the security guard, who held a grudge against Durmuş for firing him, instigated the incident.
Details have emerged regarding the chilling series of events that took place on Monday, March 2, around 06:30 in the Nispetiye neighborhood of Etiler, located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul. According to the information obtained, a fire broke out at the entrance of an entertainment venue on the street in the morning hours.
Upon seeing the flames, a nearby citizen reported the incident, and a large number of fire crews were dispatched to the scene. The teams that arrived shortly after intervened and extinguished the fire. The police teams that initiated an investigation into the incident determined that the entrance of the venue had been set on fire after gasoline was poured.
18-YEAR-OLD SUSPECTS ARRESTED
Following this, the Beşiktaş Public Order Bureau teams began their investigation and reviewed the security camera footage. In their findings, they identified that two suspects had set the entrance of the venue on fire by pouring gasoline. Subsequently, the police teams conducted forward and backward camera work and determined that the suspects had taken a taxi after the incident and then boarded a pirate taxi to go to Bağcılar. The identities of the suspects were also identified, and the Beşiktaş Public Order Bureau teams arrested M.A. (18) and S.M. (18).
"I TOOK THE JOB FOR 150 THOUSAND LIRA"
The two suspects who were taken into custody were brought to the police station. It was learned that M.A. stated that a foreign number contacted him through a chat application and that he took the job for 150 thousand lira to carry out the act. However, it was found out that M.A. did not receive the money after the incident. It was also learned that the suspect obtained the gasoline he used to set the entertainment venue on fire from a motorcycle's tank.
"IF WE SET IT ON FIRE, THEY CAN'T EXTINGUISH IT"
S.M., who recorded the incident with his mobile phone, stated, "M.A. threatened me. He forced me to come to him. He said if you don't record me with your phone, I will shoot your family and you, I panicked. I had no idea he was going to do this. While setting it on fire, he shouted, 'if we set it on fire, they can't extinguish it.'" After completing their procedures at the police station, the two suspects were subsequently referred to the courthouse. The two suspects brought before the court were arrested and sent to prison for the crimes of 'deliberately endangering public safety', 'damaging property', and 'threatening'.
VENUE OWNER KILLED ONE DAY LATER
It was claimed that the incident was orchestrated by a security guard who held a grudge against the venue owner Yusuf Durmuş (38) for having fired him a while ago. On the other hand, one day after the incident, the owner of the entertainment venue, Yusuf Durmuş, was shot while getting into his parked car in front of his house in the Mehmet Akif Ersoy neighborhood of Üsküdar. Despite all the interventions, Durmuş could not be saved. Efforts to capture the suspect who carried out the attack are ongoing.