Last updated 6 November 2026 at 12:00 PKT.
Eight people were killed and one person was seriously injured in a series of shootings across three villages in western-central Türkiye on Thursday evening, local officials said. A suspect was arrested in a neighbouring province after a manhunt, but the motive for the attacks remains unknown.
The Afyonkarahisar governor's office confirmed the death toll in a statement carried by state media and wire agencies, saying: "Unfortunately, eight of our citizens have lost their lives, and one has been seriously injured in armed attacks in our province." The attacks took place in the rural İhsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar province, a largely agricultural area about halfway between the capital, Ankara, and the coastal city of Izmir.
What happened
According to Türkiye's state-run Anadolu news agency, the shootings unfolded in the early evening on Thursday, 5 November, across three villages. Two women with gunshot wounds were found on a road in Yukarıtandır village and rushed to hospital, where both later died. Three more bodies were found in Kıyır village, about a half-hour drive to the north-east, and another three in Ayazini village, a further half-hour drive east.
A ninth person was found in a critical condition and was being treated in hospital, Anadolu reported, without saying where that person had been injured. Local media reported that some of the victims were found in or near their vehicles at the different locations.
The governor's office said the attacks happened at three separate locations in the province. Police closed roads to the villages as the search for the gunman got under way, and a major manhunt was launched on Thursday evening.
The victims
Two of the eight people killed were teachers, the provincial education directorate said. Ayşe Sena Demir and Hilal Mete taught at İhsaniye Yukarıtandır Secondary School, and the directorate expressed its condolences to their families and to the wider education community.
The names of the other six victims had not been released in official statements at the time of publication. The seriously injured person remained in hospital in a critical condition on Friday morning, according to Anadolu.
Afyonkarahisar is a largely rural province in western-central Türkiye. The three villages — Yukarıtandır, Kıyır and Ayazini — sit in the İhsaniye district, a farming area of small settlements spread across open countryside, with the villages roughly a half-hour's drive apart from one another.
The manhunt and arrest
Private broadcaster NTV reported that police were chasing a suspect driving a red car who was seen fleeing the scene. By Friday morning the suspect had been apprehended in the Seyitgazi district of the neighbouring province of Eskişehir, the governor's office said, according to the Associated Press.
Turkish media reported that the suspect fled to Eskişehir and carjacked a vehicle in the Kırka neighbourhood of Seyitgazi after the car he was driving became stuck in mud. The same reports named the suspect as Arif Sefa Özdemir and said the weapon used was a pump-action shotgun. Those details have not been confirmed in the official statements released so far.
The suspect was taken to a hospital in Eskişehir for a medical examination under heavy security before being handed over to Afyonkarahisar police teams for questioning, Turkish media reported.
The investigation
The Afyonkarahisar Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation, assigning a deputy chief prosecutor and three prosecutors to the case. Türkiye's broadcasting regulator, RTÜK, imposed a broadcast ban on coverage within the scope of the investigation. The Ministry of Family and Social Services said psychosocial support teams had been deployed to the families and to the hospital.
What is not yet known: the motive for the attacks has not been established. Officials and news agencies reporting the story on Friday morning all said the reason was not immediately known. One claim circulating in Turkish media — that the attacks followed a debt dispute — comes from a fellow villager's account of what he had heard, and the reports themselves describe it as hearsay. It has not been confirmed by investigators and should not be treated as fact.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| Thursday evening, 5 November | Shootings reported in Yukarıtandır, Kıyır and Ayazini villages, İhsaniye district, Afyonkarahisar |
| Thursday evening | Two wounded women found on a road in Yukarıtandır; both die in hospital. Three bodies found in Kıyır, three in Ayazini |
| Thursday evening | Police launch a manhunt; NTV reports officers chasing a suspect in a red car; roads to the villages closed |
| By Friday morning, 6 November | Suspect arrested in Seyitgazi district, Eskişehir province, and handed to Afyonkarahisar police |
| Friday, 6 November | Governor's office confirms eight dead and one seriously injured; prosecutors open an investigation; RTÜK imposes a broadcast ban |
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed?
Eight people were killed and one person was seriously injured, according to the Afyonkarahisar governor's office. The toll was reported consistently by the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Türkiye's Anadolu agency.
Where did the shootings happen?
In three villages — Yukarıtandır, Kıyır and Ayazini — in the İhsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar province, in western-central Türkiye. The villages are roughly a half-hour's drive apart.
Has a suspect been arrested?
Yes. The governor's office said the suspect was caught in the Seyitgazi district of neighbouring Eskişehir province after a manhunt. Turkish media reported that he had fled there and carjacked a vehicle before being detained.
What was the motive?
It is not known. Authorities have not confirmed any motive, and a debt-dispute claim circulating in Turkish media is based on hearsay and remains unverified.
Who were the victims?
Two of the dead were teachers at İhsaniye Yukarıtandır Secondary School, Ayşe Sena Demir and Hilal Mete, identified by the provincial education directorate. The other victims had not been publicly named in official statements at the time of publication.
Key takeaways
- Eight people were killed and one seriously injured in shootings across three villages in Afyonkarahisar province, western-central Türkiye, on Thursday evening.
- Two of the victims were teachers at a local secondary school; the other victims had not been publicly named.
- A suspect was arrested on Friday morning in neighbouring Eskişehir province after a manhunt, having fled the scene by car.
- The motive remains unknown, and investigators have not confirmed any of the claims circulating in Turkish media.
- Prosecutors have opened an investigation, and the broadcasting regulator has imposed a ban on coverage of it.
What to watch next
The investigation is now in the hands of the Afyonkarahisar Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The next developments to watch are the formal questioning of the suspect and any charges, an official statement on the motive, and an update on the condition of the seriously injured person still in hospital. With a broadcast ban in place, official statements — rather than live coverage — are likely to be the main source of new confirmed information in the coming days.
