During the Ramadan Festival, suspects who were allegedly pickpocketing at the crowded Bakırköy Public Market were caught by citizens. The suspects reportedly shouted “there is a bomb” as an attempt to escape, causing shoppers to panic and rush towards the exit doors. As people tried to leave the market, a small stampede occurred, leading to some individuals falling to the ground.
Following the report, police and fire brigade teams were dispatched to the scene. Suspects M.G. and İ.P. along with underage suspects G.P. and E.N.A. were apprehended by the police. A search of a bag dropped by the suspects at the scene revealed kitchen utensils and numerous pieces of clothing.
After the brief panic subsided, the market atmosphere returned to normal. The chaotic moments at the market were captured on mobile phone cameras by bystanders and shoppers. An eyewitness who is a vendor at the market mentioned that a thief sprayed pepper spray while being caught and then shouted “there is a bomb”, causing everyone to flee.
The President of the Istanbul Market Traders’ Chamber, Mesut Şengül, stated to the press that a group of women who came to the market had committed theft. After being caught by the vendors, they resorted to using pepper spray to avoid capture. The other individuals accompanying them created panic by shouting “there is a bomb” as they tried to escape, resulting in a commotion.
In a statement, the Istanbul Governor’s Office confirmed that an investigation into the incident at Bakırköy Market revealed that the panic ensued when a theft suspect shouted “there is a bomb” while being apprehended for pickpocketing. The statement assured that the situation returned to normal after the short-lived panic and that the police were processing the arrested suspects. The incident, covered on social media as “Bomb Panic at the Public Market,” was identified as a false alarm.
