The suspect, known only as R. C., was believed to be the boyfriend of the 15-year-old daughter of one of the women. They had started dating after the girl and her mother visited the restaurant where R.C. worked in the popular seaside resort of Kuşadası, south of Izmir.

After first denying any connection to the women, the suspect confessed to the murders, saying he had killed the women because the mother denied him permission to marry her daughter.

There was no immediate word from the local police.

Media named the two women as Marion Grahon and Kathy Winsmore, both aged 54.

On the day of the murder, the daughter had taken a boat tour off the coast of Kuşadası while R.C. had brought the two women for a sightseeing tour of Izmir, some 75 miles away.

They travelled to Izmir by taxi and once inside the city, R.C. collected his father's taxi and drove the women to a wooded area in Buca, a suburb of Izmir, where he slashed their throats, the papers said.

The daughter became suspicious after her mother and friend failed to return home from their trip and raised the alarm. R.C.'s father has also been arrested in connection with the murders, media reported.

One of the women is believed to have owned property in Kuşadası and was a regular visitor to the area, a popular destination with British and Irish tourists.