Suspected tourist-killer says he was curious about foreigners

A man suspected of killing a German tourist on İstiklal Avenue in broad daylight allegedly told police that he had wanted to talk to his victim because he was curious about foreigners, media reports said.

İbrahim Akyol, 26, who was seen by witnesses and security cameras stabbing Gregor Kerkeling in the chest last Monday, told police that the German tourist had rebuffed him when he wanted to talk, daily Radikal reported. In previous statements, Akyol said he killed Kerkeling when he refused to give him money.

However, Akyol was also reported to have made conflicting statements to the police and in the prosecutor’s office.

“I wanted to kill a Christian that day and was visiting churches for this reason. I saw the person and killed him,” Akyol allegedly told the prosecutor. A picture of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, bearing the handwritten words “I hate foreigners” was also reportedly found on Akyol.

Caught by police immediately after the alleged murder, before he could run away, Akyol, who is said to be a drug addict, was officially arrested Wednesday.

Kerkeling’s body was sent to Germany on Friday. His Turkish fiancée, Hatice Işık, was not able to catch the plane that carried his body. “All our plans are destroyed,” Işık said. “I still cannot believe this. How can a city become a culture capital when it cannot handle glue sniffers?”