One gunman was killed and two others were wounded in a shootout with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, the local governor said, adding two officers were lightly wounded.
Provincial governor Davut Gül confirmed the death of one of the attackers, correcting an earlier report by the public broadcaster TRT, which had stated that two people were killed.
He also reported that two police officers were injured in the shooting, which occurred at around 12.15 (09.15 GMT).
A source close to the matter told AFP that no Israeli diplomats are currently present on Turkish soil. Israeli diplomatic missions had been evacuated “not only in Turkey but across the entire region for security reasons” shortly after the October 7 attacks carried out by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli territory.
According to Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftçi, the attackers had arrived by car from the neighbouring province of Izmit (northwest) and are “linked to an organisation that instrumentalises religion.”
The minister confirmed on X that the two injured police officers were “lightly wounded.”
According to Turkish media, the three suspects were armed with long rifles, dressed in camouflage clothing and carrying backpacks.
A large police presence was deployed around the consulate building, located in the Levent business district on the European side of Istanbul, AFP reporters observed.
Journalists also reported seeing bloodstains on the ground in a nearby car park.
Images broadcast by NTV show police opening fire near a busy road, as well as an injured person being carried away on a stretcher.
An investigation has been launched by the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, Justice Minister Akin Gürlek said on X.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned what he described as “treacherous attack” outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul where a gunman was killed, and vowed to fight “terrorism”.
“We will continue our fight against all kinds of terrorism, and we will not allow ... provocations to harm Turkey’s climate of security,” Erdogan said in a televised speech.
