A man was killed on Sunday in Istanbul during mass in an Italian Catholic church by two masked assailants who opened fire and were eventually arrested by Turkish police. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack via the social network Telegram.
2 mins
The victim, who attended the celebration, first identified by his initials C. T, was called Tuncer Cihan, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Sunday evening. The two attackers were arrested as they tried to flee, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced in the evening.
In footage taken by security cameras before the attack, two men can be seen wearing black masks and with their hands in their pockets. One of them has sunglasses. About 40 people attended the mass, according to local officials, including the Polish consul general in Istanbul, Witold Lesniak, and his family.
The attack occurred around 11:40 a.m. local time (08:40 a.m. UT). “ After the second shot, the gun no longer worked, so the attackers fled. At this point, everyone was lying on the ground. There were between 35 and 40 people inside “, the district mayor, Sukru Genc, told the press. No one was injured in the attack, according to Istanbul Governor Davut Gul.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had assured earlier that “ necessary measures » had been taken to arrest the attackers, whose motive remained unknown. Before the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish authorities had assessed that the attack appeared to target a specific person rather than the Santa Maria Church, located in the Sariyer neighborhood on Istanbul’s European side.
Read alsoTürkiye: attack in an Istanbul church, the terrorist trail not favored
“ Our security forces are conducting a full-scale investigation into this matter said Omer Celik, spokesperson for the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party). “ Those who threaten the peace and security of our citizens will never achieve their goals “. The city’s popular mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, told him: “ We will never welcome into our city those who target our unity and our peace by attacking places of worship “.
Pope Francis expressed from Rome his “ proximity » with the community of this church. “ We strongly condemn this despicable attack “, he added. The Italian Foreign Minister also expressed his “ condolences ” and his ” strong condemnation “.
In December, Turkish security forces arrested 32 suspects, alleged members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, suspected of planning attacks against synagogues, churches and the Iraqi embassy. The arrests were made in nine different cities, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in Turkey, including one on January 1, 2017 in an Istanbul nightclub, which left 39 dead.
(with AFP)