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Pakistani Man Detained After Protest on Istanbul BridgePakistan
Turkish police detained a 30-year-old Pakistani man after a 90-minute standoff on Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge, where he staged a protest against Israel while holding what appeared to be a handgun.
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A 30-year-old Pakistani man was detained by Turkish police on Friday after staging a protest against Israel on Istanbul’s July 15 Martyrs Bridge, bringing traffic on the Bosphorus crossing to a standstill for about 90 minutes.
According to Turkish media reports, the man, identified only by the initials M.N., stopped his car at the bridge’s Asian entrance at around 10:20 a.m. local time, climbed onto the roof of the vehicle and began shouting slogans against Israel. He was carrying Turkish and Pakistani flags, with an Israeli flag placed under his feet, and was holding what appeared to be a handgun to his head.
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Police closed the bridge to traffic and negotiators spoke with the man for about an hour and a half. An officer approached him at around 11:45 a.m., took the object from his hand and persuaded him to climb down, Turkish media reported. He was then taken into custody for care and questioning, and traffic across the bridge resumed.
Whether the handgun was real had not been established, according to reports carried by Turkish Minute, which cited the Demirören News Agency (DHA) and other Turkish outlets. The Rudaw news website also reported the officer’s intervention and the man’s detention.
The incident was first reported on social media by Türkiye Today, which said traffic resumed after the 90-minute police negotiation. Turkish media also noted that while the protest against Israeli policies was the backdrop to the demonstration, authorities said personal circumstances had also influenced the incident, and investigations were continuing.
The July 15 Martyrs Bridge, also known as the Bosphorus Bridge, connects Istanbul’s Asian and European sides and is one of the city’s busiest crossings. The bridge is one of three crossings over the strait, and the closure left commuters stuck for more than an hour while police negotiators worked to bring the standoff to a peaceful end. The protest caused long queues of traffic on both sides of the strait while police dealt with the situation.
No injuries were reported in the incident. Police have not released further details about the man or any charges he may face, and the investigation remains under way, according to the reports.
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