07.11.2026 07:40
New details have emerged regarding the massacre carried out by Arif Sefa Özdemir, who killed 8 people in 45 minutes in Afyonkarahisar. It was determined that Özdemir, who began carjacking vehicles to flee after killing the first 3 people, shot Seydi Ahmet Aydoğmuş (73) and his wife Satı Aydoğmuş (68) in the head in the vehicle he stopped in Kıyır village, and then removed the couple's lifeless bodies from the vehicle and laid them side by side. It was learned that the suspect took the couple's car and continued his escape.
Details of the serial murders in the İhsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar, in which 8 people lost their lives and 2 were injured, continue to emerge. It has been determined that Arif Sefa Özdemir, who carried out shotgun attacks in three separate villages and at four different locations, targeted drivers he encountered in order to escape after the first murders and hijacked their vehicles.
HE KILLED THE FIRST 3 PEOPLE OVER A DEBT DISPUTE
The first attack took place at 15:10 in the rural area of Ayazini village. Özdemir, who met with Numan Toprak, Bekir Toprak, and Ahmet Uzel, with whom he had a debt dispute arising from the buying and selling of a combine harvester, shot and killed 3 people in the head after an argument broke out.
In his statement at the gendarmerie, Özdemir said that he had planned the murders in advance: “We argued, and after this argument I made up my mind to kill these individuals.” The suspect confessed that he took the 3 people to a rural area under the pretext of looking at a field and opened fire, preventing them from escaping in their vehicles.
HE KILLED AN ELDERLY COUPLE AND LAID THEIR BODIES SIDE BY SIDE
About 20 minutes after the first attack, Özdemir reached Kıyır village and at around 15:30 blocked the path of a moving car. He shot and killed Seydi Ahmet Aydoğmuş (73) and his wife Satı Aydoğmuş (68), who were in the vehicle, in the head at close range.
One of the most shocking details that emerged after the murders was what Özdemir did to the elderly couple. It was determined that the suspect removed the lifeless bodies of the couple he had killed from the car and laid them side by side by the roadside, then hijacked their vehicle and fled the area.
HE ALSO KILLED THE DRIVER WHO SAID HE WOULD CALL THE POLICE
Continuing his escape in the hijacked car, Özdemir encountered İsmail Şen, who was engaged in animal trading, about 1 kilometer ahead. It was learned that after Şen noticed the shotgun and said he would call the police, Özdemir opened fire and killed him as well.
The suspect stated in his statement that he continued his attacks in order to change vehicles along his escape route.
HE COUNTED DOWN BEFORE KILLING TWO TEACHERS
At 15:47, Özdemir reached the vicinity of Yukarıtandır village and stopped a car containing 3 women. While one of the women got out of the vehicle, the other 2 remained in the car.
In his statement at the gendarmerie, Özdemir said that he gave the teachers time to get out of the vehicle: “First I counted down from 10, then from 5. When I saw that they did not get out and did not put down the phone, I aimed at both of them separately, fired, and killed them.”
In the attack, teacher Hilal Mete died at the scene, while Ayşe Sena Demir lost her life in the hospital where she was taken.
HE KILLED 8 PEOPLE IN 45 MINUTES
Özdemir, who carried out attacks in 3 separate villages and at 4 different locations in Afyonkarahisar, killed 8 people in about 45 minutes. During his escape, in the city center of Afyonkarahisar, he also shot and seriously injured Sevgi Postalcı, a mother of 3 children who was going to pick her children up from school. It was learned that Postalcı’s treatment at the hospital continues.
After the murders, Özdemir fled to the Seyitgazi district of Eskişehir, where he also tried to cover his tracks by hijacking a vehicle. The suspect, who was caught as a result of the gendarmerie’s pursuit, was arrested by the court he was brought before on charges of intentionally killing more than one person.
A COMBINE HARVESTER DISPUTE EMERGED BEHIND THE MASSACRE
In the statement Arif Sefa Özdemir gave at the gendarmerie, it emerged that the dispute that sparked the murders stemmed from a combine harvester transaction. Özdemir said that he started working around Manisa and İzmir with the combine harvester he bought on credit for 40 thousand Euros from Numan Toprak, a resident of Kırşehir, but that the machine burned and became unusable while working in a field in İzmir. After the incident, a dispute arose between the parties over the remaining debt amount. Özdemir claimed that he had a remaining debt of 4 thousand Euros, while stating that he was asked for 11 thousand Euros. As the arguments escalated, the suspect met with the creditors and confessed that he took the 3 people to a rural area and killed them with a shotgun.
VILLAGERS COLLECTED 50 THOUSAND TL FOR THE BURNED COMBINE HARVESTER
After the massacre, it was determined that the combine harvester used by Özdemir was located in the Tekeli Atatürk Neighborhood of the Menderes district of İzmir. Neighborhood headman Osman Kavlagan explained that after the combine harvester burned, villagers and tradesmen collected approximately 50 thousand TL to support the suspect. Stating that tire dealers, oil dealers, parts dealers, and diesel dealers also contributed, Kavlagan said that Özdemir later told him that he bought a new combine harvester in partnership, but that he also suffered losses in this business.
HE ASKED THE HEADMAN FOR HIS BLESSING BEFORE THE MASSACRE
Tekeli Atatürk Neighborhood headman Osman Kavlagan said that Özdemir called him on Wednesday at 18:42 and they spoke for about 9 minutes. Stating that during the conversation Özdemir twice asked him to forgive his rights, Kavlagan also reported that the suspect withdrew his request to repair the tarpaulin on the combine harvester. Kavlagan said that he learned about the massacre from the news and was greatly shocked when he heard Özdemir’s name.
“I REGRETTED HELPING HIM”
Ahmet Gök, the owner of the field where the combine harvester burned, said that both the machine and his own field and crop were damaged in the fire. Explaining that after the incident they did not file a complaint against Özdemir and that they collected money in the village to provide him with financial support, Gök expressed his regret after learning of the massacre in which 8 people were killed. Gök said, “Later I regretted having helped him.”