A violent exchange of gunfire on Monday near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul resulted in the death of one attacker and injuries to two others, as well as two police officers. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the incident, labeling it a “heinous act of terror.”
The Turkish Interior Minister, Mustafa Ciftci, reported that two police officers sustained “slight injuries” during the firefight. He detailed that the assailants traveled to Istanbul from the city of Izmit using a rental car, and that two of them were identified as brothers. The ministry, in a statement posted on X, identified the deceased gunman as Yunus E.S., alleging he had ties to a “terrorist organisation that exploits religion.”
While this statement strongly suggests a connection to the Islamic State group, no organization has officially claimed responsibility for the attack. President Erdogan emphasized that such “vile and timed provocations” would not be permitted to undermine Turkey’s climate of trust.
Initial reports from police indicated that two attackers had been killed. However, local governor Davut Gul later clarified that only one assailant died. The two injured attackers were identified as Onur Ç and Enes Ç, also brothers according to the interior ministry. Their injuries were not life-threatening, with one officer shot in the leg and the other in the ear.
An ongoing interrogation of the injured terrorists is underway, following the detection of “intensive digital communication” among the three individuals. Governor Gul informed reporters that the attackers were armed with both rifles and pistols. He also confirmed that no Israeli diplomatic personnel were present at the consulate, which is situated in Istanbul’s primary business district in the Besiktas area.
The incident occurred in broad daylight. Social media footage appears to capture the moment one armed assailant was struck by police gunfire and fell to the ground. A witness interviewed by Reuters described the exchange as loud, with the sounds of gunfire escalating for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Unverified videos circulating online showed a significant police presence, with multiple police vans surrounding the building, which remained cordoned off for several hours.
It is noted that no Israeli diplomats are currently stationed in Turkey, and the consulate has been unoccupied for the past two and a half years, reflecting strained relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The justice minister has announced that a formal investigation into the attack has been initiated.