18.08.2026 21:20
Security camera footage of the knife attack on New Party Gaziantep Deputy Melih Meriç has emerged. The footage shows a verbal argument in the middle of the street turning into a fight, and after Meriç threw a punch, former CHP Oğuzeli District Chairman Seydi Ahmet Keleş repeatedly attacked the deputy, who had his back turned, with a knife.
Footage has emerged of the moments when New Party Deputy Melih Meriç was attacked with a knife.
MERİÇ THREW THE FIRST PUNCH
In the images reflected on a nearby security camera, Melih Meriç and Seydi Ahmet Keleş, who was reported to be the former CHP Oğuzeli District Chairman, are seen arguing in the middle of the street for a while. As the verbal argument escalated, Meriç is seen punching Keleş, and the impact of the punch sends both figures tumbling to the ground.
APPROACHED FROM BEHIND AND TRIED TO STAB HIM REPEATEDLY
After the pair got back on their feet, the course of the incident suddenly changes. Seydi Ahmet Keleş swings the knife in his hand at Meriç, who is trying to walk away from the scene, while his back is turned. The terrifying moments, where the attacker Keleş, not content with the first blow, tries to stab Meriç repeatedly as he attempts to protect himself after the shock, were recorded second by second.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The incident occurred in front of a business in the Akkent Neighborhood. According to reports, an individual attacked Melih Meriç with a knife. Following reports from those nearby, numerous police and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. Meriç, who received initial treatment at the scene, was taken to Gaziantep City Hospital by ambulance. It was learned that Meriç was taken into surgery at the hospital.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE ATTACK ON CAMERA
The moments following the attack at the scene and Meriç being carried to the ambulance by medical teams were captured on a nearby citizen's mobile phone camera.
GAVE THE ATTACKER'S NAME WHILE ON THE STRETCHER
While Meriç was on the stretcher, he was seen answering 'Seydi Ahmet Keleş' to the police officers' question, 'Do you know who it was?' It was reported that Keleş was the former CHP Oğuzeli District Chairman and was being sought. It was learned that Keleş had resigned from CHP and joined the New Party, founded by Özgür Özel and his team.
GOVERNOR ÇEBER: WE HAD SOME FEARED SCENARIOS, NONE OF THEM HAPPENED
While it was learned that an investigation had been launched into the incident, Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber, in his first statement on the matter, stated that Meriç was taken to the hospital and received treatment after the attack, saying, 'We are following the issue meticulously. I hope we will see our deputy among us soon.'
Later, after visiting Meriç at the hospital, Çeber, in his statement here regarding the health condition of the New Party Deputy, said, 'Thank God, he was promptly referred to our hospital. He was quickly taken into surgery. We had some feared scenarios; none of them happened, he has recovered. There was a problem with his intestines, but thank God, he has recovered.'
SPEAKER OF THE PARLIAMENT KURTULMUŞ'S REACTION: VIOLENCE CAN HAVE NO JUSTIFICATION, EXCUSE, OR LEGITIMACY
In his statement following the attack, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) Numan Kurtulmuş said, 'I condemn the attack on New Party Gaziantep Deputy Melih Meriç and extend my best wishes to him. Violence can have no justification, excuse, or legitimacy. As the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, we will continue to stand against all forms of violence; we will follow the process until the very end to ensure the attack is fully clarified and those responsible are held accountable before the law.'