Turkish ‘serial killer’ caught

A suspected Turkish serial killer who was being sought for the murder of three people, including a Russian citizen, was caught on a minibus in the western province of ?zmir after someone saw him and notified the police on June 12. The police had been on high alert for Atalay Filiz, who was also sought internationally.

"I ate whatever I found, frogs, bugs, etc.," Filiz reportedly said in his testimony, adding that he had been hiding in a mountainous area in the city's Gümüldür neighborhood since May 31.

According to the police, Filiz got on a minibus to go to ?zmir's Menderes district early on June 12, when a suspicious passenger saw him and notified the police. Filiz however got off the minibus, prompting a police search of all the minibuses in the district before he was located and apprehended.

Filiz presented a false ID when he was caught, but later admitted who he was, according to reports.

Three fake driving licenses and four fake IDs alongside his passport and authentic ID were found on Filiz, who also said in his testimony that he had tried to travel to Greece with a group of migrants but failed.

Filiz was being kept in the Menderes police headquarters and had received a medical exam.

?zmir Provincial Police Chief Celal Uzunkaya arrived at the headquarters and said the person who notified the police would be rewarded.

"The case was solved with the cooperation of the citizens and the police. We thank the person who notified us," Uzunkaya said on June 12.

/By Trend/