A car with a group of men inside allegedly began to follow and harass Thomas Eberhard Schultze, who is a legal counselor at the German Embassy, as he was driving with his wife at about 11 p.m. Schultze then drove into a gas station to escape further harassment, but the car followed them. When Schultze got out of the car, the group assaulted him, with one person producing a knife. He sustained injuries to his legs.
The German official was rushed to Gazi University Medical School Hospital in an ambulance with a number of stab wounds to his legs and was immediately taken into surgery upon arriving at the hospital. Although his injuries were reportedly not life threatening, he did lose a lot of blood. Meanwhile, Ankara police rushed to the scene of the attack and examined video surveillance footage from the gas station. The station employees gave statements to the officers.
Five suspects were detained following extensive investigations into the incident. Cihan T., one of the suspects, reportedly stabbed the German official. The suspect claimed that the incident broke out when Schultze did not allow them to overtake him in traffic. Cihan T. has a criminal record.
German Ambassador to Turkey Eckart Cuntz visited Ankara Police Chief Zeki Çatalkaya after the incident. The ambassador reportedly thanked the police chief for their efforts in apprehending the suspects.
