Erdogan convinces suicidal Turkish man not to jump off bridge (seriously)
According to the Dogan news agency, Erdogan's entourage spotted a depressed man on the side railing of the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul just as he was about to jump.
By JPOST.COM STAFFTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes hands with a man who was allegedly about to attempt suicide off the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul(photo credit: AFP PHOTO)
Islamist firebrand. Would-be reviver of Ottoman hegemony. Dictator. Life counselor?Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made enemies in Israel and the Kremlin, but apparently the man who has used ruthless means to consolidate power in Ankara has a softer side, as exhibited by a report that he talked a suicidal man suffering from depression out of jumping off the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.According to the Dogan news agency, Erdogan’s presidential motorcade was driving alone the route that connects Europe and Asia when his entourage noticed a man on the side railing about to jump into the famous strait.Erdogan’s bodyguards then approached the man, who was seen on camera sobbing. They then escorted the man to the window of the president’s car. After a brief conversation, the man began kissing Erdogan’s hand.According to Dogan, the man, who is in his 30s, had been suffering from depression due to family problems.