Turkiye arrests 67 after mob attacks Syrian properties

ISTANBUL: Turkish police were holding 67 people on Monday after a mob went on the rampage in a central Anatolian city after a Syrian man was accused of harassing a child.

A group of men targeted Syrian businesses and properties in Kayseri on Sunday evening, with videos on social media showing a grocery store being set on fire. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the latest bout of violence against Turkiye´s large community of Syrian refugees.

“No matter who they are, setting streets and people´s houses on fire is unacceptable,” he said, warning that hate speech should not be used for political gains. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the Syrian national, identified only by his initials as I.A., was caught by Turkish citizens and delivered to the police.