Prosecutors drop probe into Istanbul mosque blaze

By Filiz Kinik Oz and Ali Cevahir Akturk

ISTANBUL (AA) - Prosecutors in Turkey dropped an investigation on Thursday into a fire in a historical mosque in Istanbul.

The probe was closed due to a lack of evidence for suspicions of negligence regarding the blaze that broke out last year in the 17th-century Vanikoy Mosque.

In the decision text, it was noted that independent experts had found no evidence, indication, or allegation that the fire, which broke out on Nov. 15, 2020, had been intentional.

With the support of the Coast Guard Command, firefighters doused the blaze in the building situated on the coast of the Bosphorus Strait.

After inspecting the site, firefighters had found that the flames had erupted due to the electric wiring in the building.

The mosque, mainly made from wood, was built by Vani Mehmet Efendi, a Turkish scholar, in 1665.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan