Media: Jewish cemetery headstones destroyed by vandals in Istanbul

Young vandals have smashed and overturned more than 80 tombstones at the Hasköy Jewish cemetery in Istanbul, the Daily Sabah writes.

The cemetery is located in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, where the Jewish community has lived compactly for centuries. The incident caused indignation among the Jewish diaspora members, who called on the authorities to catch the criminals as soon as possible.

After checking the security footage from the area, the police determined that five children from 11 up to 13 years old living in the same area had committed the act of vandalism.

The children told investigators that they entered the cemetery in search of a ball that they had lost while playing in a nearby park. Security footage shows them kicking the headstones before running away.

The President's spokesperson, İbrahim Kalın, has already condemned the incident and announced that an investigation is underway.