Syrian teenager stabbed to death in Turkey amid ongoing racial tensions

A 15-year-old Syrian boy was stabbed to death on Wednesday in Turkey's southwestern city of Antalya, the Turkish news website Bianet reported the following day.

Ahmed Hamdan El Naif was in the Serik district of the city when he was attacked by three people on motorcycles.

The suspects, who were all minors themselves and identified only by their initials RO, YY, and IA, were arrested and charged following the incident, according to Bianet.

Turkey has been gripped by anti-Syrian race riots since Sunday, following reports that a Syrian man harassed and abused a child in the central Turkish city of Kayseri.

Mobs attacked and burned Syrian businesses in Kayseri and other Turkish cities, and there have been reports of several fatal attacks across the country.

Syrians in the city of Gaziantep, which hosts a large refugee population, have reported that they are unable to leave their homes to buy essential goods for fear of being attacked.

Turkish authorities announced on Tuesday that over 470 people had been arrested as a result of the violence.

Turkey currently hosts around 3.5 million refugees from the conflict which broke out in neighbouring Syria in 2011.

Following the anti-Syrian violence in Turkey, Syrians attacked Turkish troops in the border city of Afrin, leading to four deaths.

Xenophobia and racism against Syrians has increased in recent years in Turkey, with Syrians being blamed for the country’s economic problems and politicians from various parties stoking racial tensions in order to win votes at elections.