Two drunk people who tried to break into the Protestant Church in Eskişehir were arrested and sent to prison. Police teams are on guard 24 hours a day on the street of the church, which has been attacked twice in a month.
After the attack on the church’s Pastor Artun Tokatlı after the service on October 29, Aykut K. and Halil D., who were found out to be drunk, tried to enter the church by force on the evening of November 25. The suspects were caught by police teams after the incident. Aykut K., who underwent a health check at the hospital, was found to have 2.16 promil and Halil D. 3.27 promil alcohol. Suspects are sent to the court house after their processings at the police station. The suspects, who appeared before the judge with a request for arrest after their interrogation at the prosecutor’s office, were arrested and sent to prison on charges of ‘threat’ and ‘violation of workplace immunity’.
Explaining what happened on Saturday evening, November 25, Pastor Artun Tokatlı stated that they thought the consecutive events were discrete actions and that the timing was unfortunate. He said that they could not get in and while they were forcing the door, they were trying to hold the door behind so as not to open it. “They were already drunk, I think they made a connection with Israel after drinking, I don’t know, but we are Turks anyway. So we are a Turkish church. We have no connection with any country, institution or place abroad. Of course, it is normal for people to think this way because we are Christians. Because the concept of Turkish-Christian is not a well-known concept, but it is a fact. “There are Turkish Christians in Türkiye, no matter how they perceive it,” he said.
“The police and the prosecutor’s office acted very sensitively, the police are waiting at the door 24 hours a day.”
Pastor Tokatlı stated that after the incident, the team assigned by Eskişehir Police Department kept watch in front of the church 24 hours a day. He said that the incidents occurred one after the other within a month, so the police officers and the prosecutor’s office acted very sensitively.
