Unusually clad Austrian tourist stoned after startling Turkish locals

AP WorldStream via COMTEX ^ | 10-28-02

[Oldeconomybuyer]

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Oct 28, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Residents of a northwestern Turkish town threw stones at an Austrian tourist who was dressed in a black cloak and had piercings on his face because confused locals thought the man was a Satanist, police said Monday.

Police had to take Sascha Michael Mariacher, 28, into custody Sunday to protect him until the angry crowd dispersed in Edremit, a town of some 30,000 people, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Istanbul, police said.

Mariacher, who had red-dyed hair and wore large hoop earrings and silver rings, had come to the town to visit his Turkish father, police said. He was not seriously injured.

"Local people thought he was a Satanist," an official from the Balikesir police department said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. "They were scared and started attacking him."

The Anatolia news agency said people thought he was "an alien."

"He is not a Satanist," the police officer said. "And he can't understand why the people were so scared of him."

The Austrian Embassy was not available for comment.

[The Energizer]

Sounds like the description of one of the high school students I know!

[Abcdefg]

The jerk shouldn't be surprised.

[BlueLancer]

Any resemblence is coincidental?

[chuknospam]

Bwahahahaha, ROTFLMO.

[Woodman]

I guess it's a good thing this guy didn't decide to visit!

[Tijeras_Slim]

HOLD MUH TONGUE STUD ALERT....

[Thinkin' Gal]

"Local people thought he was a Satanist,"...

It was an honest mistake.

Chance, the description of this fellow brings to mind that 'sick freak' image. Same guy?

[Aquinasfan]

"No one should care about what I look like." LOL!

[Woodman]

Maybe this is the guy?

Or maybe this one?

Or maybe this is the one?

Well I tried, really don't need to see what the real guy looked like to picture the creature.

[SubSailor]

Is Ozzy okay? Will he still be able to do his show on MTV? What was he doing in Turkey anyway?

[Lurking2Long]

Satanists killing Satanists.

What has the world come to....?

[Northpaw]

"DUDE, I'M NEVER GOIN" BACK TO TURKEY"

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Ewwwwww.

[ReadMyMind]

Those high schools better not be sending any field-trips to Turkey...

[Cachelot]

"He is not a Satanist," the police officer said. "And he can't understand why the people were so scared of him."

"My name is Dracula. Count Dracula, you idiots! Why are you throwing rocks at me??"

[Raven6]

Ah Crap!!!... I was hoping it was a guy in a purple "Barney" suit...

[fourdeuce82d]

"angry locals ripped the piercings out, one by one..."

[TopQuark]

And they call us self-absorbed. How stupid and arrogant can one be to show up in Anatolia looking like that? One could learn a bit more about the destination from a tour book, but having a Turkish father and still do that?

[Mind-numbed Robot]

There is a reason that "When in Rome do as the Romans." has been around a long time.