Five Afghans fatally stabbed in Turkey, investigation launched

Police on Thursday discovered the bodies of five Afghan nationals who were stabbed to death inside a house in the Turkish capital Ankara, the country’s state-run news agency reported. An investigation has been launched.

The five bodies were found after family members contacted police and reported the five to be missing, Anadolu Agency said.

The Afghans appeared to have died of knife wounds a week ago, HaberTurk television reported, quoting unnamed police officers. It said prosecutors have launched an investigation into the deaths.

There was no immediate information on the victims' identities.

The five were found dead in Ankara’s low-income Onder district, which is home to migrants from Syria and Afghanistan. Violence erupted in the district last year, as an angry mob vandalized Syrian businesses and homes in response to a fatal stabbing of a Turkish teenager.

Anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise in Turkey, fueled by the country’s economic woes.