Eight people have been killed and one person seriously injured in a series of shootings across rural areas of Afyonkarahisar province in western Turkey on Thursday 5 November, in attacks that sent police on a large-scale manhunt before authorities said the suspect had been arrested in a neighbouring province.

Source: BBC News

The victims were found at several locations in three separate vehicles, according to local reports cited by the BBC. The attacks took place in rural areas northeast of the city of Afyonkarahisar, a province in western-central Turkey roughly midway between the capital Ankara and the coastal city of Izmir.

Source: BBC News

Three villages, three vehicles

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported that three people were killed near Ayazini village and three others near Kiyir village. In Yukaritandir, two women were found injured and later died in hospital, Anadolu reported via the BBC. Two teachers were reportedly among the dead, Turkish media reported.

Source: Anadolu Agency via BBC News

CCTV footage published in Turkish media showed a man in a black jacket, white trousers and glasses clutching a long weapon as he stood by a red minivan, the BBC reported. Local media said roads leading to the affected villages were closed by police while officers launched a large-scale operation to find the suspect.

Source: BBC News

Manhunt, then an arrest in Eskisehir

The suspect fled after the attacks, triggering the manhunt. The newspaper Milliyet reported that a vehicle allegedly taken by the attacker was later found stuck in mud, the suspect having abandoned it before fleeing on foot. Authorities later said the suspect had been arrested in Eskisehir province, north of Afyonkarahisar, the BBC reported in its updated account.

Source: BBC News (citing Milliyet)

In a statement posted on social media, the Afyonkarahisar Governorate said: "All relevant institutions of our state have been working in coordination since the very first moment and are meticulously carrying out the necessary work." The governor's office confirmed the toll in its own words: eight citizens had lost their lives and one had been seriously injured in armed attacks in the province, according to reports of the statement.

Source: Afyonkarahisar Governorate via BBC News / Daily Jagran

What is not yet known

Authorities have not announced a motive for the shootings in the reports available so far, and the identities of the victims have not been officially released beyond the reports that two teachers were among the dead. What happens next is the formal investigation: police work at the three village scenes, the questioning of the arrested suspect, and an official account of how the attacks across Ayazini, Kiyir and Yukaritandir were connected.