Authorities identified the three attackers and, according to the Ministry of the Interior, the person who died was ‘linked to a terrorist organization that exploits religion’
One attacker “linked to a terrorist organization” was killed and two others were injured in a shooting this Tuesday (7) in outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbulwhich has not housed diplomats since 2023.
Two police officers who were on duty in front of the building were injured. — one in the ear and the other in the leg —, informed the Turkish Interior Ministry.
Two other individuals “linked to the attack” were detained, public broadcaster TRT announced. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he called a “treacherous attack” and promised to combat “all forms of terrorism” and not allow “provocations to undermine the security climate” in the country.
According to local authorities, “unidentified individuals opened fire on police officers” at around 12:15 pm local time (6:15 am Brasília time). No Israeli diplomats “are currently on Turkish soil”a close source explained to AFP.
Israeli missions were evacuated “not only in Turkey, but throughout the region, for security reasons” after the attack by the Palestinian movement Hamas on Israeli territory, on October 7, 2023, he added.
A trader, who preferred not to reveal his full name, estimated that “The exchange of fire lasted between eight and ten minutes.” Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftçi reported that the attackers arrived by car from the neighboring province of Izmit (northwest) in a rented car.
Authorities identified the three attackers and, according to the Ministry of the Interior, the person who died was “linked to a terrorist organization which instrumentalizes religion.” The police are interrogating the other two, who are brothers.
Dozens of police officers, wearing helmets and bulletproof vests, were deployed in front of the consulate — located in the commercial district of Levent, on the European side of Istanbul —, AFP journalists noted, adding that several ambulances were seen leaving the scene.
Journalists also saw traces of blood on the floor of an adjacent parking lot. The Israeli Foreign Ministry spoke out on the X. “Terror will not intimidate us,” it wrote, praising “the quick action of the Turkish security forces, which thwarted this attack.”
*AFP
