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A suspect who allegedly caused a carpet fire inside the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque by burning books has been indicted on charges of “damaging public property by arson” and “violating the Law on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets.” Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of up to 13 years for Mesut Guclu.
According to the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, an emergency call was received by the Istanbul's Fatih District Police Department at around 11:29 p.m. on July 11, reporting that “a person was attempting to start a fire in the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque.” Police officers arrived at the scene, where the fire had already been extinguished by mosque staff.
The investigation began following a criminal complaint by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Regional Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. The site is within a “World Heritage Area” and classified as a first-degree protected cultural asset within the Urban Archaeological Site of Istanbul.
Security camera footage showed the suspect entering the mosque through the X-ray checkpoint at 10:57 p.m. on July 11. Carrying a cloth bag, Guclu removed what appeared to be a book, placed it at the base of a column, and ignited it at 11:12 p.m. before quickly leaving the mosque and driving away.
In his statement, Guclu said he went to the Hagia Sophia Mosque in his own vehicle and joined the evening prayer. “When the congregation began to leave, I took out a Bible, a manuscript, and pieces of leaves and wood I had collected from different places,” he said.
“I set fire to the manuscript using a cologne bottle and placed it under the carpet before leaving the mosque. My intention was to burn the Hagia Sophia Mosque. I have no remorse,” he noted.
He added that he brought the manuscript as a symbolic reaction related to his beliefs and carried the Bible “to draw attention to the fact that Hagia Sophia was once a church.”
According to a forensic report, photographs of the Hagia Sophia and several other historic mosques and walls in Istanbul were found on the suspect’s mobile phone.
The indictment stated that Guclu ignited the materials with a flammable substance, causing damage to the carpet in the prayer hall of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, a first-degree protected cultural heritage site.
Prosecutors requested a prison sentence ranging from four to 13 years for Guclu on charges of “damaging public property by arson” and “violating the Law on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets.” The indictment, accepted by the 44th Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance, will move to trial in the coming days.
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