‘Obsessive fan’ stabs radio host in central Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A radio host was wounded on Oct. 3 in a knife attack by an apparently obsessive fan in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Doğan News Agency has reported.

The assailant, identified as Müge Arcan, stabbed radio host Cem Arslan while he was walking after his program ended at a private radio station in the Taksim area at 8:10 p.m.

Arcan reportedly followed Arslan before grabbing his shoulder and then stabbing him around five times in his back with a bread knife. 

One witness at the scene took Arslan to a nearby hospital, where he remains in a stable condition as his coat was reportedly heavy enough to protect him from the worst of the stab blows.

Police were informed about the attack and detained Arcan at the scene.

Serdar Gökalp, one of Arslan’s colleagues, said Arcan had previously attacked others from the radio station.

“Similar attacks by the same person previously targeted other friends at our radio station. I hope such things will not happen anymore. After seeing his wounds, we understood that he was lucky to get away relatively lightly,” Gökalp said.

The 40-year-old Arcan reportedly attacked women radio hosts who she thought were close to Arslan. In 2010, she mistakenly stabbed a woman in the back, thinking she was one of the radio hosts who she believed was Arslan’s girlfriend.