Turkish court remands 2 in custody over Istanbul fire

By Mustafa Hatipoglu, Murat Kaya, Murat Paksoy and Huseyin Bagis

ISTANBUL (AA) - Two suspects remanded in custody on Monday in connection with an Istanbul fire leaving four dead and one injured.

One of the suspects, Ozkan E., 26, was arrested in the southern province of Hatay -- some 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) from Istanbul -- as part of the investigation into Sunday’s fire in a five-story building in Istanbul’s historic Beyoglu district.

After he was brought back to Istanbul, the suspect’s uncle Yusuf E. was also arrested by security forces.

Ozkan confessed his crime in his testimony and said he set the house on fire after having problems with his flatmate Ramazan D.

The suspects were referred to an Istanbul court, which remanded them in custody.