Turkish court remands 2 in custody over Istanbul fire
ISTANBUL
Two suspects remanded in custody on March 4 in connection with an Istanbul fire leaving four dead and one injured.
One of the suspects, Ozkan E., 26, was arrested in the southern province of Hatay - some 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) from Istanbul - as part of the investigation into the fire on March 4 in a five-story building in Istanbul's historical Beyoğlu district.
After he was brought back to Istanbul, the suspect's uncle Yusuf E. was also arrested by security forces.
Ozkan confessed his crime in his testimony and said he set the house on fire after having problems with his flatmate Ramazan D.
The suspect, who was recently fired from his job, felt offended after arguing with his housemates who were also his former co-workers at the same restaurant, he told the police.
He had bought a ticket to his hometown Hatay before the day of the incident, he said.
“I was under constant psychological pressure from Ramazan D., who survived with injuries. He used to swear at me. We were hostile at each other. I saw that he had thrown my stuff out of the house. I was angry. I put newspapers on the couch he was sleeping and set them alight,” he added.
He also said said that he only wanted to intimidate his friends and called the fire service when he noticed the spread of fire.
The suspects were referred to an Istanbul court, which remanded them in custody.
