Turkish teen arrested over mosque vandalism in less than a day

Turkish police apprehended a 19-year-old man in less than 24 hours after he posted a photo of a vodka bottle inside a mosque, instigating a citywide search amidst the labyrinthine network of 3200 mosques in the city, a day after a case involving the horrific burning of 33 intellectuals in Sivas was dropped due to statute of limitations, 30 years after the tragedy.

This rapid response, starkly contrasting with the sluggish pace of justice witnessed in historical cases such as the Sivas massacre, underscores a shifting paradigm in law enforcement's approach to maintaining sanctity and law and order.

The young man took to social media to share a photograph of an alcoholic beverage placed on a stool inside a mosque. In a daring message accompanying the image, he taunted, “if they can find out which one of the 3200 mosques it is...". Remarkably, in less than a day, the law enforcement agencies were able to pinpoint the exact location - Atasehir Kanuni Sultan Mosque in Istanbul - and place Safa Yasin O. under arrest.

Turkey's Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, highlighted this efficiency by sharing an image of the apprehended individual on his social media account. The accused, who used the alias 'Kondopolos' on Reddit, engaged with comments on his post, explaining that he had ventured into the mosque, which was located in a bustling district of Istanbul, but was empty at the time. Responding to a comment that questioned his boldness, he mentioned that he gathered courage by uttering a phrase translating to "For Atatürk, cheers".