Istanbul court issues arrest warrant for ‘man with machete’

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

S.Ç. was seen holding a machete in the footage. DHA Photo

A man who attacked Gezi Park protesters with a machete in his hand is now being searched for with an official arrest warrant, after a prosecutor objected to his release by an Istanbul court.

The man, identified as local business-owner S.Ç., was recorded by an amateur camera kicking a woman in the back while holding a machete, hours after police staged a heavy-handed attack on Gezi protesters around Taksim Square on July 6.

S.Ç. was summoned to the police station for testimony and sent to an Istanbul court on charges that he “intended to injure and resisted commissioned officers,” after videos emerged showing him and others attacking protesters with machetes. However, he was later released pending trial by the court.

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç yesterday said that he found it “odd” for S.Ç to have been released in this way.