Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the possible cause of forest fires in the country. According to him, the authorities are considering the version of arson. The Turkish leader said this during a speech at the crisis center in Antalya.
“We are thoroughly investigating the causes of the fires. If there are such traitors who can burn their own homeland, they will suffer the most severe punishment,” the Turkish leader said.
Earlier, the Turkish police detained suspects in the arson of forests in the city of Manavgat. Law enforcement agencies said that one of the alleged perpetrators was noticed by residents while lighting a fire. “The citizens demanded to hand over the suspect for lynching,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that intelligence was involved in the investigation.
At the end of July, forest fires broke out across Turkey. The flames reached the tourist province of Antalya; in particular, the popular resorts of Bodrum and Marmaris were affected. More than 42 settlements were on fire. According to the head of the Ministry of Health of the republic, Fahrettin Koca, more than 400 people were injured due to the fires.
