Turkey on Wednesday questioned the competence of high-level security staff after an unconscious Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, rushed to hospital for low blood sugar, was accidentally locked in his car for about 10 minutes.
A preliminary inquiry was launched into the incident to determine whether Erdogan's driver and bodyguards were responsible for breaching security rules or for negligence, officials said. "A security scandal," blared the best-selling Hurriyet newspaper, decrying Erdogan's hospitalisation Tuesday as "a chain of clumsiness and mistakes."
"Abandoned in the hands of fate," trumpeted the popular Aksam, while the mass-circulation Sabah asked: "What if the prime minister was having a heart attack?"
Struck by panic after the 52-year-old Erdogan suddenly fell ill, his driver and bodyguards all jumped out of the car and slammed the doors as they arrived at the hospital, activating the vehicle's automatic lock system, with the car key left in the ignition.
As the prime minister lay unconscious inside, they reportedly struggled for about 10 minutes to break the thick window of the armoured car, aided by workers at a construction site near the hospital who brought a sledgehammer and a chisel. Doctors said Erdogan was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, or drop of blood sugar, caused by exhaustion and fasting.