Mersin's Tarsus and Çamlıyayla Armed Attacks (May 2026)

The armed attacks that occurred on 18 May 2026 in the districts of Tarsus and Çamlıyayla in Mersin are recorded as incidents resulting in six deaths and eight injuries. The attacks were carried out in quick succession at different locations, prompting security forces to launch a large-scale operation.

The incidents are reported to have first begun in the Darıpınarı Neighborhood of Çamlıyayla district. According to allegations, the attacker, identified as Metin Ö., opened fire on his former wife Arzu Özden as she was walking on the street, resulting in Özden’s death at the scene. It is stated that the attacker then left the area in his vehicle.

The attacker is reported to have subsequently arrived at a restaurant in the Kadelli Neighborhood of Tarsus district. Fire was opened from inside the vehicle toward the establishment, resulting in the deaths of restaurant owner Sabri Pan and employee Ahmet Ercan. Following the incident, medical and gendarmerie units were dispatched to the area.

It has been disclosed that the attacker carried out additional armed attacks along his escape route in various neighborhoods. Yusuf Oktay, who was grazing livestock in the Kaburgediği Neighborhood, Abdullah Koca in Yeniköy Neighborhood, and truck driver Gökay Selfioğlu, who was waiting at a fuel station, were all killed in these attacks.

Authorities announced that a total of eight people were injured during the attacks. The injured were taken to various hospitals for treatment.

A large-scale operation was launched by gendarmerie and police units to apprehend the attacker. Security measures were intensified along roads in the vicinity of Tarsus, Çamlıyayla and Pozantı; search operations were conducted with helicopter and drone support.

The suspect, believed to have fled into a forested area, remained at large for an extended period. During search operations conducted by gendarmerie units, it was determined that the suspect was hiding in a house in the Çokak locality, in the rural area of Karakütük Neighborhood.

The attacker, identified as Metin Öztürk, took his own life inside the house where he was cornered.

İsa Gür, the headman of Kaburgediği Neighborhood, stated that his nephew, who was wounded in the attack, was receiving treatment in hospital. Gür reported that the attacker arrived at the entrance of his workplace and opened fire randomly from inside the vehicle. He initially mistook the sounds of the incident for jokes or firecrackers but later realized it was a real attack.

Residents of the neighborhood stated they did not know the attacker and confirmed that shots were fired randomly at people in the vicinity during the incident.