Suspect detained in Japanese tourist’s murder in Turkey's Cappadocia

NEVŞEHİR

Mai Kurkiharac and Hoshie Teramatsu were attacked while walking in the Zemi Valley during a trip to the region. Hürriyet/ File photo

A suspect has been detained in connection to an attack on two female Japanese tourists in Cappadocia that left one dead after being identified by the survivor as the alleged assailant, Doğan news agency reported Sept.10.Nevşehir Gov. Mehmet Ceylan confirmed that one suspect had been detained over the investigation launched after Mai Kurkiharac and Hoshie Teramatsu were attacked while walking in the Zemi Valley during a trip to the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir’s Göreme village. Kurkiharac died at the scene.Ceylan said Teramatsu recognized the suspect, saying the incident would be clarified after other evidence is collected.Forestry and Waterworks Minister Veysel Eroğlu visited Teramatsu and said her family would arrive in Turkey on Sept. 11.The detained suspect, M.V.D, 27, had criminal records for sexual abuse and the use of drugs, according to daily Hürriyet.Authorities declined to make any statement to the Hürriyet Daily News regarding their investigation on Sept. 10, saying the public prosecutor had told them “not to disclose any information to anyone.” The gendarmerie official also said that the public prosecutor would “soon” take a court decision to conduct a confidential investigation over the incident.On Sept. 9, a group of tourists discovered Kurkiharac’s dead body, along with the injured Teramatsu, and immediately called local gendarmerie and medical teams. Teramatsu was transferred to the Nevşehir Public Hospital, where she was operated on. The operation was successful and Teramatsu’s situation is now stable, having been restored to consciousness, Anadolu Agency reported.Officials from the Japanese Embassy to Ankara said the body of Kurkiharac had been brought to Ankara for an autopsy. The officials also said they were holding meetings with authorities concerning the repatriation of the dead woman’s body to Japan. Her family and the Japanese Foreign Ministry are also holding meetings over the issue.Ceylan condemned the attack, vowing to find the perpetrators as soon as possible.