Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerkilaya said in a statement that more than half of the detainees (285) have criminal records of varying degrees.

The outbreak of violence originated last Sunday night in Kayseri, in central Anatolia, after news spread about the abuse of a five-year-old Syrian girl by an adult, allegedly a relative of the victim, also a Syrian national.

The case sparked strong protests that quickly escalated into attacks against the refugees, the local press reports.

Within two days, the violent wave spread to several regions of the country and to areas in the north of the neighboring nation controlled by the Turkish army.

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