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One Attacker Killed, Two Wounded in Gunfight Outside Israeli Consulate in Istanbul

Turkish authorities say the three assailants had links to an organisation that "exploits religion"; no Israeli diplomatic staff were present at the time.

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One attacker was killed and two others wounded in an extended gun battle with police outside the building housing the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, Turkish authorities and Reuters witnesses said. Two police officers sustained light injuries in the attack.

The shooting lasted at least 10 minutes near a permanent security checkpoint in the city's main financial district, amid the glass towers of a major commercial hub where thousands of workers were on their lunch break. Footage obtained by Reuters showed an apparent attacker in a dark top and carrying a backpack, moving among parked police and security vehicles and firing with both an automatic rifle and a handgun. Two bodies were found on nearby streets and in parking areas.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the three attackers had links to an organisation that "exploits religion" and that two of them were brothers. Istanbul Governor Davut Gul, speaking at the scene, confirmed the two officers had been lightly wounded and noted that no Israeli diplomatic staff had been present at the consulate for two and a half years, since the Hamas-Israel war began in 2023. The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed this.

Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel in November 2023 and diplomatic relations have been effectively frozen since. Israeli diplomats left Turkey the same year following security concerns after pro-Palestinian protests broke out across the country and outside the consulate building. A heavily armed police presence has been maintained in the area since then.

 

 

 

Source: Reuters

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