First shift at the municipality after a one-month break: 'We will continue to serve Fethiye'

Fethiye Mayor Alim Karaca, who completed the treatment and rest period after an armed attack about a month ago, resumed his duty. Meeting with the press at the municipal building, Mayor Karaca stated that his health condition is good and thanked those who supported him, as well as made statements regarding the investigation process.

"We went through a challenging process of 30 days"

Expressing that the process he experienced was not easy, Mayor Karaca said that he received great support from healthcare workers. Karaca said, "We went through a challenging process of about 30-31 days. I thank everyone who showed close interest in us during this period, especially our doctors and healthcare workers. We overcame the treatment process with their support and are back to our duties today."

"The people of Fethiye never left me alone"

Thanking those who did not leave him alone throughout the treatment process, Karaca said the solidarity shown was a source of morale. Karaca stated, "I thank, first of all, the esteemed members of the press, as well as representatives of political parties, provincial and district heads, non-governmental organizations, chamber presidents, headmen, my colleagues, and all the people of Fethiye. They never left me alone during the time I was in the hospital and at home. These supports gave me strength."

"We will soon leave the crutches as well"

Karaca, noting that he decided to return to duty despite having a medical report, said that the work has restarted. Saying, "Normally, our medical report continues, but we thought we needed to be at work," Karaca added, "As of today, we have started our meetings with our team. I am currently walking with crutches, but we will leave them in about a week or ten days. After that, we will return to our normal life and continue serving Fethiye from where we left off."

"Our services will continue in the next 3 years"

Karaca stated that during the remaining term of office, they will continue their work in 41 neighborhoods of Fethiye, saying, "I thank everyone again for the moral support shown to us during this process. We will continue to provide good services in the 41 neighborhoods of our Fethiye over the next three years."

"The incident has nothing to do with the municipality or tenders"

Answering journalists' questions about the cause of the attack, Mayor Karaca said that the circulating claims in the public do not reflect the truth. Stating that the investigation is continuing under a confidentiality order, Karaca said, "Since there is confidentiality over the file, we are not making detailed statements at this stage. However, according to the information we received from the relevant state institutions, it has been confirmed that the incident has no connection with me, the municipality, or the tender issues that are spoken about in public."

"There were suspicious activities around the daycare"

Karaca also touched on what happened on the day of the incident and said a person who attracted attention for days was near the daycare close to his house. Karaca said, "There is a daycare right next to my house, and dozens of our children go there every day. For several days, there was a person displaying suspicious behavior around the daycare. We had reported the situation to the police and municipal enforcement teams. While I was trying to take the suspicious person to the police, this unfortunate event happened."

"Confidentiality will continue until the instigator is reached"

Karaca stated that the investigation is continuing comprehensively and that efforts to reveal all aspects of the incident are ongoing. Karaca said, "The aim is not only to identify the people involved in the incident but also to reveal the entire structure behind it. Confidentiality in the investigation will continue until the instigator is reached. Necessary statements will be shared with the public by the relevant institutions once the process becomes clear in the coming days."