The Bursa forest fire was allegedly started by a former Turkish army sergeant using two bottles of petrol. The man had previously been expelled from the military over alleged ties to the Gülen movement (FETO), which is held responsible for the 2016 coup attempt.
“I wanted to go to prison for life,” he reportedly confessed during questioning. Turkish media have covered the story prominently, with headlines calling him “the traitor of Bursa.”
The suspect, 30-year-old Ufuk Aytekin, allegedly told police: “I bought petrol in a container from a petrol station in the city centre. I drove my car to Kışmanlar Park and set fire to the trees. I had been evicted from my home. I wanted to be sentenced to life imprisonment. I gave in to temptation and set the forest on fire.”
The former sergeant sustained burns to his hands and feet while igniting the Bursa forest fire, before leaving the area in his vehicle.
Security camera footage from the petrol station shows Aytekin arriving by car, purchasing two five-litre water bottles, emptying them into flower pots outside the station, then filling them with petrol before driving away.
Turkish police are investigating whether the suspect had contact with others, whether he is linked to other fires, and whether he acted on instructions from the Gülen movement.
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