A gunman was killed and two were injured in a shootout near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called a heinous act of terror.
Two policemen were slightly injured in the gun fight, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said. Ciftci stated that the attackers had come to Istanbul from the city of Izmit by rental car, and two of them were brothers.
In a statement on X, the interior ministry named the gunman killed as Yunus E.S., who it said was connected to the terrorist organisation that exploits religion. This reference is understood to point to the Islamic State group, although no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
We will not allow the climate of trust in Turkey to be damaged by such vile and timed provocations as today's, Erdogan asserted.
Initially, police reported that two attackers had died, but local governor Davut Gul clarified that only one had been killed.
The injured attackers have been identified as Onur Ç and Enes Ç, both brothers. The police officers injured were confirmed to be in non-life-threatening condition, with one shot in the leg and the other in the ear.
The authorities noted that intensive digital communication has been detected among the three neutralised terrorists, and interrogation of the injured terrorists continues. Governor Gul informed reporters that the attackers employed rifles and pistols during the assault.
Reporters confirmed that no Israeli diplomatic personnel were present at the time; the consulate, located in Istanbul's main Besiktas area, has been inactive for two-and-a-half years due to deteriorating bilateral relations over the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The justice ministry has launched an investigation into the shooting which occurred in broad daylight.
Witnesses described the gunfire as loud and persistent, reportedly continuing for 15-20 minutes. Unverified footage shared online depicted a heavy police presence around the consulate following the incident.
