Turkish mayor attacked by mob after 'sealing off hotel'

Didim Mayor Ahmet Deniz Atabay was attacked by a mob with baseball bats and was taken to a hospital. Atabay said that the attack stemmed from him sealing off a hotel in the district.

Tuesday June 15 2021 11:23 am

Duvar English

The mayor of the Aegean holiday resort town of Didim was attacked by five people carrying baseball bats on June 14 alongside his lawyer and was taken to a hospital.

Mayor Ahmet Deniz Atabay from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has said that he was attacked because he didn't allow the opening of a hotel in the district.

Atabay said that he was at a restaurant with his lawyer when the group attacked them and the assailants fled the scene after the waiters intervened in the incident.

Police apprehended one of the assailants and efforts are ongoing to catch the other four.

CHP Aydın Provincial chief Ali Çankır visited the municipality after the attack and voiced support for Atabay.

"We stand with our mayor as the CHP. We have never been deterred by illegal actions and we won't be," Çankır said.

Atabay noted that the hotel in question lacks permits and there is a court order on the building that says it's not fit to be a hotel.

"We sealed off the hotel and were attacked on the same night," Atabay said, alleging that there is a gang in Didim that includes journalists Süleyman and Mehmet Özışık.

"This gang was used to do business through illegal means. They used to do so before our administration. They would attack us by using their media influence. We won't allow these gangs," he added.

CHP Istanbul deputy Mehmet Akif Hamzaçebi also pointed to the same group when commenting on the attack.

"This group attacked Mayor Atabay for sealing off the unlicensed hotel," Hamzaçebi said.

Özışık brothers recently made headlines in Turkey for acting as intermediaries between Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and mafia boss Sedat Peker, who has been accusing the minister of committing numerous crimes.