A man who was released on Monday after a brief detention for attacking a four months pregnant woman in a park in Manisa’s Turgutlu district last week was arrested again on Tuesday.
The attacker, identified as Mehmet Tanrıbilen, was arrested last Friday but released by a court on Monday in a development that led to public outrage.
Tanrıbilen reportedly got out of his car and approached Ebru Tireli, 32, while she was doing physical exercises in the park near her house. The man told Tireli “You are not going to do fitness here again” and took off one of his shoes and began to hit the woman. Tireli later said in her statement to the police she lost her balance and fell to the ground and that the man continued to hit and kick her while she was down.
Tireli said she begged the man not to hit her, saying she was pregnant and could lose her baby. She said the attacker fled the area due to her screams.
In the meantime, Tireli’s husband, Akın, told Turkish media outlets that his wife faces the risk of miscarriage and that their only concern is the health of the mother and child.
In September Turkey was shaken by a similar incident when a 23-year-old nurse, Ayşegül Terzi, was attacked by a man while she was travelling on a bus because she was wearing shorts.