YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. The man who vandalized an Armenian church in Istanbul has been institutionalized, according to local media reports.

45-year-old Mr. Serdar K., the man who sprayed racist graffiti on the Holy King church in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district and dumped large amounts of trash at the entrance, told police interrogators that prior to vandalizing the church he had hanged a picture of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk at the church.  “I got angry when I saw the picture was removed the next day,” he said.

A court had released the man on signature bond.

The Holy King (Surp Takavor) Armenian Church in Kadikoy, a district in Istanbul, Turkey, has been vandalized overnight April 30.

Images posted on social media show how the vandal sprayed “Bu Vatan Bizim", meaning “This is our country” in Turkish on the church walls.

The vandal also dumped a big amount of trash in front of the gates.

Many people labeled the incident as “fascism” on social media, urging to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable.

The suspect was apprehended May 2. Reports said the vandal has mental disorders and had previously attempted to commit suicide.

The Turkish interior ministry released a statement on the incident saying that the minister, Suleyman Soylu, has personally visited the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul on May 1 and notified the clergy that law enforcement agencies are investigating the matter.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan