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Topics: News, World News, Crime
Gerrard Kaonga
Warning: This article contains graphic details and discussion of violence which some readers may find distressing.
A teen killed two women before killing himself, and police found concerning sketches in his bedroom after his attacks.
19-year-old Semih Celik is believed to have slaughtered Aysenur Halil and Ikbal Uzuner, both 19, within half an hour of each other before killing himself in in Istanbul’s historic Fatih district on October 4.
According to local reports, classmates and neighbors said Celik was obsessed with both women. His father said one of them was his girlfriend, while the other was a schoolmate.
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After the two killings, police searched Celik’s home and found his notebook filled with images of dismembered naked bodies.
Celik’s father said his son had a drug habit and recently quit his job as a butcher. He also noted that he had been discharged from a string of mental health institutions for psychological problems.
The father said he found concerning drawings in his son’s room over a year ago.
In a statement seen by BBC Turkey, he said: “When I entered Semih’s room, I saw the devil-like drawings he had drawn on the wall, which frightened the human mind.
“When we asked Semih, ‘What are these drawings?’ he would explain it differently by saying, ‘You wouldn’t understand, our mindset is different.’”
The police also found a video of Celik threatening to kill one of the women. Searching through his mobile phone, police also found he was part of an ‘incel’ chat group online.
Turkey’s Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş has taken to social media to condemn the killings as the country wrestles with the gruesome nature of the crime.
Writing on Twitter, he said: “The brutal murder of our two young girls in Istanbul has broken our hearts.
“We will continue to work with all our might in cooperation with all relevant institutions to eliminate the reasons that lead to violence and to prevent femicides.”
“I wish God’s mercy upon the deceased and offer my condolences to their grieving families. We stand by our families in every way, especially in psychosocial support.”
Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya also took to Twitter.
“The foundation of our country’s peace lies in the fundamental rights and freedoms of women and a zero-tolerance policy against violence toward women. We will not allow those who attempt to inflict violence upon women to breathe easily,” he wrote.
Over the weekend, thousands of women took to the streets of Istanbul to protest against violence faced by women.