Armed attack on municipal council member in Bursa

The incident occurred in the Yenişehir district during the morning hours. According to the information obtained, Koray Aydın, an İYİ Party municipal council member in Yenişehir and president of Yenişehir Belediyespor, began arguing with an individual identified as İ.A. over the phone.

İ.A. summoned Aydın to a vacant lot. As the argument continued there, İ.A. shot Aydın in the hip and leg. After being shot, Aydın managed to reach Yenişehir State Hospital on his own.

Citizens who heard the gunshots reported the situation to the 112 Emergency Call Center. Upon notification, police and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. The teams apprehended and detained İ.A. in a short time.

YENİŞEHİR MAYOR ÖZEL CONDEMNS THE ATTACK

Making a statement after the incident, Yenişehir Mayor Ercan Özel said, "Following the Local Administration Elections held on March 31, 2024, you entrusted us and 25 municipal council members with the task of governing Yenişehir. Since the day we were elected, we have been striving to work in harmony with all our Yenişehir Municipal Council members to make Yenişehir a more beautiful district, to ensure our people live in prosperity, to provide our citizens with a comfortable and convenient life, and to carry our district toward a better future.

While we work together for our city as the Mayor of Yenişehir and the Yenişehir Municipal Council members, unfortunately, some circles are trying to disrupt our unity and disturb our peace by targeting both our Municipal Council members and myself with unrealistic posts aimed at inciting our society to hatred and animosity.

Our citizens should be assured that everything that happens under this roof and every decision made is for them to live in a more developed Yenişehir. The heinous incident that occurred today has deeply saddened all our fellow citizens in Yenişehir. This morning, around 05:30, an attempt was made on the life of our friend and colleague, Council Member Koray Aydın, and he was subjected to an armed attack. Three bullets hit our friend's leg, and after initial interventions at Yenişehir State Hospital, he was transferred to Bursa. 

Our council member's health condition is currently good, but his treatment is ongoing. Those who carried out this attack on our esteemed Council Member Koray Aydın will, of course, be held accountable before the law. This attitude of the attackers will certainly not go unpunished. However, I would like to state that we will do our best to ensure that the circumstances of this attack against a council member elected by the people of Yenişehir are thoroughly investigated, that the public is made aware of who is inciting the people to hatred and animosity against our council members, and that they do not go unpunished. We will stand against the attackers who could go so far as to shed the blood of a council member elected by our people through slander, gossip, and false statements, as well as the powers behind them, together with all the council members of our municipality and the district chairs of our parties. 

Undoubtedly, this attack against our Municipal Council Member Koray Aydın is the result of malicious posts and expressions that have incited the society to hatred and animosity to date. As we have said from the first day, our Yenişehir needs unity above all else. We are not afraid of the mentality that incites our Yenişehir citizens to hatred and animosity with false statements. We are together and will continue to be together against those who try to damage the reputations of our council members and myself in the eyes of society, belittle us, make us enemies, and target us with gossip, false statements, and slander. We ask our people to stay away from those who make malicious posts and try to disturb the peace of our society, and not to give credence to their actions and rhetoric regarding these attitudes. Our Municipal Council will act jointly against such verbal or physical attacks, regardless of who they are committed by or against whom. We will not hesitate to resort to legal and criminal channels against those who commit such attacks. Finally, we convey our get-well wishes to our Council Member Koray Aydın, who was injured in the attack, his family, our municipal council, and all the people of Yenişehir," he said.

POLITICAL PARTIES ALSO CONDEMN THE ARMED ATTACK

AKP District Chair Mehmet İleri, who condemned the attack, said, "As the AK Party District Organization, we condemn this heinous attack on our Council Member Koray Aydın, who was elected by the will of the people in the March 31 elections, by saying 'Only God takes the life that God gives.' Regardless of the reason, an attack that attempts to take a life should not be a political issue. We convey our get-well wishes to Koray Aydın, his family, and all the people of Yenişehir."

CHP District Chair Deniz Dörtkardeş said, "We learned about this incident that took place in the morning hours with sadness. First of all, we wish him a speedy recovery. As the Republican People's Party, we will stand against such incidents. We condemn the attack."

İYİ Party District Deputy Chair Ramazan Eliaçık also stated, "We are very saddened on behalf of Yenişehir that Koray Aydın, who was elected by the votes of the people, was attacked. An attack on the will of the people is unacceptable. We must do everything within the framework of rules and by talking. I convey my get-well wishes to Koray Aydın, his family, and all our people."

News Source: İHA