Arzu Erbaş Çakmakçı, 33, was stabbed to death on Aug. 10 outside the day care center she owned in the Geuzenveld district of Amsterdam, an area that hosts a sizable immigrant population. The police and her family said there were no known motives for the murder of Çakmakçı, who had been given several awards and had been received by the Dutch royal family for her charity work, raising suspicions that it could have been a hate crime.
But the police later said the chief suspect in the murder was 42-year-old Koyak, who, according to police, is an alcoholic and drug addict. Koyak was captured on Wednesday. Police said in a statement later that day that the motive of the killing was still unclear and it was still not known whether the suspect and Çakmakçı were somehow connected.
Çakmakçı's family are pleased that the suspect has been caught and have praised the police. “We are glad that the Amsterdam police have captured him after meticulous work. Our pain has lessened a bit,” Deniz Güçlü, a family member, told the Cihan news agency.
“There were lots of scenarios around as to who could have been responsible for the murder,” said Köksal Gör, an ethnic Turkish member of the regional assembly of North Holland. “Then, thank God, the photos of a suspect were published, and we felt relieved. The capture of the suspect will shed light on many questions and save people from unjustly blaming others,” Gör said.
