Attempt to Set Fire to Hagia Sophia in Turkey

A 37-year-old man, Mesut Güçlü, has nearly destroyed a UNESCO monument. Istanbul police have arrested the arsonist of Hagia Sophia.

According to Ekol TV, the incident occurred in Istanbul after a prayer session when a man in a red hat set fire to a pile of papers inside the mosque. The spread of the fire was prevented.

The television channel reported that a woman inside the mosque noticed the fire in time and informed the imam, who lifted the carpet and was able to extinguish the flames.

The suspect, Mesut Güçlü, was arrested just a few hours after the incident. According to reports, the man had previously received treatment at a psychiatric clinic in the Bağcılar district. The court has ordered his detention.

It is worth noting that Hagia Sophia was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986. In 2020, this site gained the status of a mosque.