Two detained in connection with armed attack to mayor

BURDUR

The mayor of the southwestern Burdur province’s Yeşilova district, where Salda Lake is located, and his spouse have been shot in an armed attack.

Mümtaz Şenel, 68, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and his spouse Fatma Şenel, 64, have been hospitalized after being injured in the attack.

The couple were reported to be in good condition, while an investigation was launched into identifying the perpetrators of the shooting.

According preliminary investigations, the attackers claimed they were police when they appeared at their house.

The gunmen reportedly shot the two’s feet, right after Şenel opened the door. The perpetrators fled the scene immediately after.

Police and gendarmerie forces were dispatched to the scene, with Şenel being taken into surgery at Burdur State Hospital for sustaining more severe injuries than his wife.

Meanwhile, two people, considered to be related to the armed attack, were detained, according to the statement from the Ministry of Interior.

“We convey our “get well” wishes to Mayor Mümtaz Şenel and his spouse Fatma Şenel due to the abominable attack they have suffered,” it said in the statement.

“Burdur Governorate will share the updates with the public by observing the security of the investigation,” it said.

Salda Lake has been on the country’s agenda with the “people’s garden” project, the construction of which started around the picturesque lake.

Activists have decried any construction work on the site, saying it would harm its beauty and the environment. Şenel is one of the figures to oppose the project.

The lake has been described as resembling the Maldives, with its water and white sand.

Photos that emerged on social media recently showed the sand destroyed around the lake, after the company that undertook the construction had used heavy machinery.