Sunday December 12, 2021
Istanbul (HOL) - A Somali-Canadian man has died in Istanbul after being attacked in the street earlier this week.
Bashi Hosh Jibril, 52, was confirmed dead by Turkish authorities following an attack in a central Istanbul neighbourhood on the morning of the 6th of December.
He was visiting Istanbul for a few days while on his way to his final destination, Nairobi. Friends and families began to worry when he failed to board his flight Monday evening and did not return their numerous calls.
Bashi is the younger brother of the late Abdurahman Hosh Jibril, a former Minister of Constitutional Affairs in Somalia.
Bashi was accosted by three assailants just before 7 am. Surveillance video shows that he was punched once in the neck before falling to the concrete floor and hitting his head.
While unconscious, the attackers ransacked his pockets, taking his phone and other valuables in his possession.
According to witnesses, an Iranian doctor, who was passing by, witnessed Jibril lying motionless on the ground and tried to resuscitate him by performing CPR.
The attack happened in the Beyoğlu district, a historic neighbourhood on the European side of Istanbul that had long been popular with foreigners and tourists.
Turkish paramedics arrived on the scene and performed CPR in the ambulance before rushing him to the hospital.
Istanbul police have arrested all three suspects.
According to their investigation, two suspects blocked Jibril’s path, while another suspect approached from behind and punched Jibril in the throat before fleeing in a taxi.
The suspects have only been identified by their initials in Turkish media. Following a court appearance, two of the suspects MD and DC - both under 18 - were charged with theft and released from custody. AY, the man who punched Jibril, was charged with deliberate murder.
The Hosh family has set up GoFundMe to support Bashi Hosh Jibril's wife and young child.