Fenerbahce midfielder Mehmet Topal's SUV was shot at as he was driving home from practice today in Istanbul. At least one of the shots hit the bulletproof windshield, but Topal was not hurt in the attack. The gunmen fired multiple shots but escaped after Topal pulled to the side of the road and called police. The club released a statement condemning the act, as did the Turkish Football Federation.Breaking - Fenerbahce midfielder shot at in armed attack http://t.co/nNZaYt8hWg pic.twitter.com/7YDXpb9p9B
— Turkish-Football.com (@Turkish_Futbol) August 11, 2015
Back in April, Fenerbahce's team bus was attacked by gunmen as well. The bus driver was hit during the attack, forcing the team to take over the bus to keep from crashing. He was later escorted off the bus, gushing blood from his face, but admitted to a local hospital in stable condition.Topal, who was interviewed after the April shooting, said at the time: "We cheated death. God protect us. I hope our driver will be all right. Words fail me. It's unbelievable.""This was a terrorist attack. We condemn these armed attacks on our players and club and hope justice will prevail."
The Turkish Football Federation said: "This attack is not only on an eminent player of our club and national team, it is deemed an attack on Turkish football."