Police freed the hostages and arrested the man who had held seven Procter & Gamble employees hostage that afternoon. According to the Turkish press, the man carried out these actions in protest against the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip
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The story of the seven employees of Procter & Gamble (P&G), located on the outskirts of Istanbul in northwestern Turkey, who were taken hostage in the early afternoon by an armed man, ended, as the press reported, and 9 hours later, Turkish forces allegedly carried out… This action is in response to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. The Turkish police released them and arrested the kidnapper. “When the man went out to go to the bathroom, our security forces carried out an operation without injuring the hostages,” local governor Sedar Yavuz told reporters, adding that the attacker had been arrested. Pictures published by the Turkish press showed police cars blocking access to the American company's factory west of Istanbul.
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Release and arrest of hostages
Governor Yavuz explained that “when he went out to go to the bathroom, our security forces carried out an operation without harming the hostages,” stressing that the man was carrying two pistols with him, but it appeared that he was also carrying explosives tied to his chest. The governor said that the police “evaluated all possibilities.” Distraught relatives of the hostages, gathered in an isolated facility, applauded when local officials informed them that their loved ones had been released. “We are very happy after the long hours of waiting,” said Fatma Dursun, whose nephew was taken hostage. He added: “Thank God they are all safe and sound.”
Turkish media: The attacker threatens to shoot if the police enter
During the afternoon negotiations, the attacker allegedly threatened to “shoot in all directions” in the event of a police raid. This was announced by the husband of one of the hostages. Cedem Aydemir, the mother of one of the hostage employees, asked: “If he is doing all this for Palestine, let him go and fight there. What does my 26-year-old daughter have to do with this?” “I can only pray,” he added. Anxiety and fear are increasing among the families of the kidnapped that the matter will extend into the night. The father of another hostage, refusing to reveal his identity, complained, saying, “We have no inside information. We waited for hours, but none of the officials made any statements.”
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A photo taken by Turkish media shows a man whose face is partially masked with a keffiyeh, wearing explosives strapped around his torso and carrying what appears to be a small pistol in his right hand. Behind him is a sign reading “For Gaza,” painted in red on one of the walls. In Turkey, since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza, many calls have spread to boycott American products. Several McDonald's restaurants and Starbucks cafes were vandalized across the country.
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