 |
| Reuters |
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".
Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci stated that the gunfight left two police officers "slightly injured." According to Ciftci, the attackers were two brothers who had driven a rental car from Izmit to Istanbul. 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".
That is believed to be a reference to the Islamic State group, despite the fact that no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. Erdogan stated, "We will not allow such vile and timed provocations as today to damage the climate of trust in Turkey." Police were initially quoted as saying two attackers had died, but local governor Davut Gul later clarified that only one had been killed.
The interior ministry stated that the two injured attackers were brothers and gave their names as Onur and Enes.
READ MORE: Earthset and a solar eclipse: Nasa releases first images from Moon fly-by
The two police officers injured in the shooting were not in life-threatening condition, the ministry's statement added, with one shot in the leg and the other in the ear.
According to the statement, "the interrogation of the injured terrorists continues" and "intensive digital communication has been detected among the three neutralized terrorists." Rifles and pistols were used by the assailants, Governor Gul told reporters. He also said that no Israeli diplomatic personnel were in the consulate, which is located in Istanbul's main business district in the Besiktas area.
The gunfight happened in broad daylight. Video on social media appears to capture the moment when one armed attacker was shot by police and fell to the ground.
According to the Reuters news agency, a witness who was present at the scene stated that the sounds of gunfire had been "loud" and had continued to increase "for 15-20 minutes."
Unverified videos circulating online showed several police vans and a heavy police presence around the building, which was cordoned off for several hours after the attempted attack.
Posts
0 Comments