Turkey's Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi reports 72% drop in motorcycle‑linked armed attacks

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said that motorcycle‑facilitated armed attacks in Turkey fell sharply, from 165 incidents in the 1 January‑16 July period of last year to 46 in the same period this year – a reduction of roughly 72 %. The same data showed deaths decreasing from 17 to 9 and injuries from 81 to 15.

Çiftçi explained that security forces are targeting the entire crime chain: from the rider who carries out the assault, to those who issue the orders, supply weapons and vehicles, and provide escape or shelter. Continuous operations and preventive measures coordinated by the Ministry of Interior aim to limit the mobility of armed crime groups that use motorcycles for rapid approach, anonymity and quick getaway.

The minister stressed that the goal is not only to cut incident numbers but to eliminate the operational capacity of armed crime organisations, reaffirming that any method or vehicle used to threaten Turkey's security will not be tolerated.