The perpetrator of a neo-Nazi attack involving a multiple stabbing in the city of Eskişehir, in north-western Turkey, which left five people injured and was broadcast live online, has died after committing suicide in prison, where he had been held following his sentencing to 75 years and 5 months’ imprisonment.
Arda Küçükyetim, aged 20, attacked five people he encountered at random on the street in the city of Eskişehir in August 2024, whilst wearing a helmet, a balaclava, protective goggles and a tactical vest. After being arrested and tried, he received a sentence of 75 years and 5 months in prison.
However, according to reports by the Turkish news channel NTV, the convicted man is believed to have died yesterday afternoon after taking his own life in his cell, having spent approximately 1 year and 10 months in prison. His body was taken to the mortuary at Eskişehir Municipal Hospital for an autopsy, whilst an investigation has been launched to clarify the circumstances of his death.
He livestreamed his attack on social media
The attack took place on 13 August 2024 in Şehit Rüstem Demirbaş Park, located in the Uluönder neighbourhood of the Tepebaşı district. The attacker, who wore the Nazi ‘Black Sun’ emblem on his chest, as well as a helmet, a mask and a tactical vest, and who also carried an axe at his waist, stabbed Tevfik Arslan (aged 72), Cumali Özemek (58), Naşit Özyürek (88), Metin Korkmaz (65) and Cemal Altıntaş (52) whilst the victims were in a café in the park.
Küçükyetim streamed the attack live via a social media account, using a mobile phone attached to his tactical vest. All those injured had to be taken to hospital, with two of them admitted in critical condition.
A manifesto in which he declared his “hatred of humanity”
Following the incident, a manifesto allegedly written by Küçükyetim under the username “skreewie” appeared on the archive.org platform and was rapidly shared across major social media platforms. In this document, Küçükyetim – who was born in Eskişehir in 2006 into a middle-class family – stated that he had never had a good relationship with his family and that his hatred of humanity began at the end of secondary school.
“When I finished secondary school, I fell into a deep depression. Life wasn’t worth living; there was no point in being a slave to this shitty system. But when hatred for humanity was added to that depression, I finally found my purpose in life,” he wrote.
In the manifesto, entitled ‘Mass Cleaner’ El Kitabı (The “Mass Cleaner” Manual), the attacker revealed his intention to target immigrants, Syrian children and LGBTQ+ people, and admitted that he had previously planned an attack on the headquarters of the Turkish Communist Party (TKP). He also mentioned four personal role models: Anders Behring Breivik, Brenton Tarrant, Stephen Paddock and Timothy McVeigh, whom he described as “saints of our time”.
Following the attack, which was clearly inspired by neo-Nazi ideology, the perpetrator attempted to flee but was arrested by the police and sent to prison, charged with attempted murder and making threats intended to sow fear and panic amongst the public. Subsequently, the 6th High Criminal Court of Eskişehir sentenced him last September to 75 years and 5 months’ imprisonment, where he remained serving his sentence until yesterday, when he decided to take his own life.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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