Turkish-American police chief subjected to threats

ISTANBUL

The United States’ first-ever Turkish police chief became the victim of a campaign of racist threats sent to him via text messages, according to U.S. media.

İbrahim “Mike” Baycora, a Muslim, was appointed as the 17th police chief of the city of Paterson, New Jersey in February.

The historic ceremony saw him swear on the Quran instead of the Bible, with representatives from the Turkish community in New York and New Jersey in attendance, as well as an imam.

Yet it did not take long for Baycora to find himself at the receiving end of threats due to his race and religion.

Stefan Keco, 28, was charged on Feb. 28 for sending “threatening text messages to Chief Baycora with the purpose to intimidate him because of the chief’s religion, race and national origin,” Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said in a statement.

Local Mayor Andre Sayegh defended Baycora valiantly in response to the incident: “The message should be sent loud and clear: You can’t mess with our police chief. Especially if you’re messing with him because of his faith.”