‘Food Card’ Request Behind Attack on Turkish Opposition Leader Özgür Özel"

Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel was attacked in Istanbul on Sunday, in an incident that has drawn nationwide attention. The Interior Ministry later identified the attacker and revealed the motive behind the assault.

According to an official statement, the attacker was 66-year-old Selçuk Tengioğlu. He reportedly told police that he had asked for a “food card” from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), but no one responded to his request.

“I asked for a food card from CHP and they didn’t give it to me… I got really angry, and when I saw Özgür Özel, I just lost control,” Tengioğlu said in his statement after being detained.

The ministry also revealed that Tengioğlu has a serious criminal background. In 2004, he killed two of his children—identified as B.T. and M.T.—and wounded two others. He has previous convictions for theft and threats and was sentenced to life in prison but was released on parole in 2020.

The attack took place as Özel was leaving the Atatürk Cultural Center in central Istanbul after attending a memorial service for pro-Kurdish politician Sırrı Süreyya Önder.

Videos circulating on social media showed an elderly man walking up to Özel and slapping him in the face before being restrained.

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Following the incident, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Özel to wish him well and express concern over the attack, according to the Anadolu Agency.