"Capture & Release": Turk Stranded in Mecca for 40 Years (!) Returning to Sivas

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 11 July 2026)

         Greetings pilgrim; your search has (finally) ended.

Ali Baybaş (77), who was stranded in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, after going 

there 40 years ago (!) from Sivas, due to a legal process that resulted in 

a travel ban, is returning to his hometown thanks to the diplomatic 

efforts that have been made.

Ali Baybaş, registered in the Kavak village of Gürün district in Sivas, 

has been stranded in Saudi Arabia for approximately 40 years due to 

legal obstacles and a travel ban imposed because he failed to attend 

a court case opened against him.

Over time, he suffered accidents that left him partially paralyzed, and 

he struggled with serious health problems, trying to survive on the 

streets of Mecca. This year, he was discovered in a weakened state by 

Turkish pilgrims. His plight, brought to public attention through social 

media posts, also caught the attention of politicians. 

Ali bey, stuck in Mecca airport, 40 years ago.

Following the efforts of AK Party Sivas MP Rukiye Toy, the Ministry 

of Foreign Affairs initiated work to facilitate Ali Baybaş's return to Turkey. 

Diplomatic efforts by the Turkish Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate 

General in Jeddah with Saudi Arabian authorities yielded positive results.

 All administrative and travel bans against Ali Baybaş were completely 

lifted, and his return to Türkiye officially began.

Planning has been made for Ali Baybaş, whose exit barrier from Saudi A

rabia has been eliminated, to come to Türkiye. Ali Baybaş, whose flight 

ticket was purchased, will be in Istanbul in the evening. AK Party Deputy 

Rukieye Toy will personally welcome Ali Baybaş at Istanbul Airport. 

Baybaş, who is planned to stay one night in Istanbul, will then be 

transported to Sivas.

Maybe he'll take the train from Mecca...

...and then the new high-speed train from Istanbul to Sivas!

"Pray & Release": Bag of Money Thrown in Trash Container Miraculously Found, in Izmir

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 10 July 2026)

I

     Sometimes you just gotta get lucky...

In Izmir's Karabağlar district, jeweler Mehmet Güneş put 400,000TL

(about $8,500) that his friend had given him to buy gold in a bag and

placed it in his kitchen when he got home. 

However (!), Güneş's wife thought the bag contained garbage so she

threw it in a trash dumper outside.  When Güneş learned of this turn

of events, he rushed to the garbage dump and began searching through

15 tons of trash for the money with his relatives.  

Having no success, Güneş scanned footage from seven security

cameras in his neighborhood and identified the dumper in question. The 

footage showed cleaning crews emptying a full container into a truck, 

and then throwing a bag from the side of the container into the empty 

container. Güneş immediately went to the container in the neighborhood 

and found the bag full of money among the trash. (!). 

"Meow & Release": A Cat Named "Lokum" Delights the Press Corps at NATO Summit, in Ankara

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 8 July 2026)

         "...and make sure you spell my name right!"

'Lokum' (Turkish delight candy), an Ankara cat cared for at the 

Presidential Library, became the center of attention for foreign press 

members covering the 36th NATO Leaders Summit.

The 36th NATO Leaders Summit continues with sessions held at the 

Presidential Complex. 'Lokum,' one of approximately 50 cats (!) cared 

for at the Presidential Library, was brought up to the floor where 

foreign press members are located.

The Ankara cat, with its charming movements, white fur, and bicolored 

eyes, became the center of attention for the foreign press.

"She'll stay till she gets bored." (!)

Ayşegül Korkmaz, the veterinarian who bred 'Lokum', said, "Our cat is 

an Ankara cat and is known abroad as the 'Turkish Ankara cat'. She lives

in the Presidential Complex and was brought here to be introduced to the 

press to promote Ankara.  She always lives here and is here today to 

represent herself and Ankara. She will stay here as long as we have guests; 

but she will leave when she gets bored." (!)

Trump got jealous...

"Grab & (No) Release": Young Girl Abducted in Istanbul and Taken to Antalya by Rejected Suitor

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 8 July 2026)

                       The situation is, well, blurry...

R.H.U., who was charged in Antalya two years ago with sexual 

harassment of 16-year-old girl E.Ö. , whom he met over the internet,

came to Istanbul in search of  the young girl, despite the fact that 

R.H.U. faces a jail term of 20 years. 

Two months before the hearing of his harassment case, R.H.U. and

his relatives contacted E. Ö.'s family, but they refused the attempted

contact.  

On 2 July, E.Ö. told her mother, "I'm going to the market", but instead

E.Ö. was abducted by R.H.U. and his friends, forced into a car and

taken to Antalya. 

E.Ö.'s mother Nagihan Solak, fearing for her daughter's life, related that

a few days after E.Ö. turned 18, R.H.U.' s family wanted to settle the 

matter - evidently meaning marriage between the two young people. 

In response, Nagihan hanım rejected the peace offer and asserted that

both she and E.Ö. would not retract their complaints against R.H.U. 

At that time, E.Ö. signalled agreement with her mother, telling her 

"Mom, he deserves the worst!  Let him be jailed.  I want to live in

peace henceforth!"

Nevertheless (!), R.H.U. was not incarcerated and succeeded in 

kidnapping E.Ö.

"Gut & Release": Iranian Drug Courier Died When Capsule Exploded in His Stomach, İn Şanlıurfa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 July 2026)

Investigators' assessment: "It's kind of a mess, but it'll have to 

do till the real mess gets here."

Omid Lotfipour, an Iranian national found dead wrapped in a blanket in 

the Eyyübiye district, has been identified as a drug courier. It was 

determined that Lotfipour, who had fled a police checkpoint and spent 

the night in an empty field, died as a result of one of the drug capsules

he was carrying in his stomach exploding. (!)

The incident came to light yesterday morning in an empty field near the

 ring road in the Akabe neighborhood of Eyyübiye district. People passing

through the area on their way to their summer houses noticed a person 

lying motionless wrapped in a blanket and reported the situation to the 

112 Emergency Call Center. 

Police and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. Upon examination, 

it was determined that the person had died. Further investigation revealed 

the body belonged to Omid Lotfipour, an Iranian national. 

Ouch.

Lotfipour's body was taken to the morgue of the Şanlıurfa Forensic 

Medicine Institute. Investigations by the Homicide Bureau revealed that 

Lotfipour entered Türkiye with a passport on Thursday and then traveled 

to Şanlıurfa by road. Police determined that Lotfipour, upon seeing a 

checkpoint in the Akabe neighborhood, moved away from the area and 

waited in an empty field, where he spent the night wrapped in a blanket.

Lotfipour, who became ill after one of the drug capsules he was carrying 

in his stomach exploded, died of cardiac arrest according to preliminary 

autopsy findings. An examination at the Forensic Medicine Institute 

revealed that numerous drug capsules were found in Lotfipour's body. 

It was stated that his relatives have not yet applied to claim Lotfipour's 

body, which is being held at the Şanlıurfa Forensic Medicine Institute 

morgue. The investigation into the incident continues.

"Save & Release": Heroic Worker Rescued Mom and Kids Whose Car Plunged Into Canal, in Aydın

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(YeniAsır website, 6 July 2026)

     Heroes don't always look like Brad Pitt.

A desperate struggle for survival unfolded in Aydın after a car plunged 

into a canal. Seeing the vehicle sinking, heroic municipal employee 

Ahmet Katılmış immediately jumped in and managed to rescue a mother 

and her two children who were facing imminent death. Katılmış, who 

saved three lives, said, "They must have had some good karma. I just 

did my duty as a human being."

The Efeler district of Aydın witnessed a heroic act. The incident 

occurred  under the highway bridge in the Yeniköy neighborhood. 

A life-or-death struggle ensued in a car that plunged into an irrigation 

canal. The car, driven by 38-year-old mother B. E., went out of control 

and swerved. As the car veered off the road and into the irrigation canal, 

a desperate struggle for survival unfolded for the mother and her two 

children inside. 

Now a memento photo instead of a watery grave, 

thanks to Ahmet bey.

In those critical moments, a miracle occurred for the three people in 

the car.  Ahmet Katılmış, a staff member of the Efeler Municipality 

Parks and Gardens Directorate, who was cleaning up garbage in the 

area when he saw the accident, noticed that the vehicle in the canal 

was slowly sinking into the water.

Katılmış jumped into the canal without hesitation to rescue the family 

who could not get out because the doors were locked. Showing great 

heroism, Katılmış managed to save the mother B.E. and her children 

Y.E. (10) and N.E. (8) from death in the submerged vehicle.

"Fleece & Release": Industrial Strength Scam Operation Targeting Czech Republic Raided, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 4 July 2026)

call center demise click here for raid details.

        Looks like a rogue hive in need of a Beekeeper...

A foreign fraud ring targeting European citizens, primarily in the Czech 

Republic, in Turkey has been dismantled. 51 suspects were taken into 

custody for setting up a fake call center in Maslak and impersonating 

public officials to defraud victims.

The Istanbul Police Department's Cyber ​​Crimes Unit, continuing its 

efforts to prevent fraud crimes under the coordination of the Istanbul 

Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, placed a business in Maslak under 

technical and physical surveillance following information provided 

by Czech Republic authorities and judicial cooperation.

The investigation revealed that the so-called call center, targeting 

European countries, used advanced artificial intelligence-powered 

software to call people living in Europe and impersonate police officers, 

prosecutors, soldiers, and bank officials.

The suspects, who gained the trust of their victims over the phone, 

were found to have defrauded numerous Europeans, primarily Czech 

citizens, using telephone and software programs, and attempted to 

launder the proceeds of the crime by transferring them to different 

accounts through bank accounts and cryptocurrency platforms. 

Following the investigations, police teams raided an office in Ata 

Center in Maslak, where 80 foreign nationals were present, yesterday 

morning. In the operation, 51 suspects were taken into custody.