DHA
One attacker was killed and two other gunmen were wounded in a gunfight with police near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, with one of the assailants having links to a religious extremist organization.
The building housing Israel’s consulate in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district was targeted around noon, triggering a gun battle that lasted roughly 10 minutes, the local media reported, adding that a heavy police presence was quickly deployed to the scene.
The attackers were wearing tactical camouflage, carrying backpacks and were armed with long-barreled weapons, officials said.
The suspects were found to have traveled to Istanbul in a rental vehicle from the neighboring province of Kocaeli, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said.
One of the assailants had ties to a radical religious group, he said, without naming the organization.
“The terrorists have been identified. It was determined that the suspects, who arrived in Istanbul from İzmit in a rental vehicle, included one individual with links to a religion-exploiting organization,” he said.
“It was also determined that one of the two terrorists, who are brothers, has a prior drug-related crime record.”
Two police officers were slightly injured in the clash, the minister noted.
There have been no Israeli diplomatic staff at the consulate for the past two and a half years. Relations between Türkiye and Israel deteriorated following the Gaza war that began in 2023, prompting much of the diplomatic staff to return to their countries. Since the start of the conflict, the Istanbul consulate has been under heightened police protection.
Following the April 7 attack, Büyükdere Avenue, a major thoroughfare hosting numerous offices and business towers, was closed to traffic.
“This major attack was contained with minimal damage thanks to our police,” Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said. “It appears to be a provocative act.”
According to security sources, Istanbul police had already taken precautionary measures in recent days due to the possibility of an attack amid the ongoing war between the U.S., Israel and Iran.
Initial findings suggested that three suspects attempted to carry out an assassination targeting the consulate’s offices on the seventh floor of a building in Levent.
Security personnel and police at the entrance noticed the suspects, two of whom were carrying long-barreled weapons. When the attackers opened fire after being ordered to stop, a shootout ensued, the sources said.
Turkish authorities announced that an investigation into the incident has been launched.
Numerous videos showing the exchange of gunfire circulated on social media and television. Media watchdogs issued warnings about broadcasting violent footage from the attack, which took place in one of the city’s busiest financial districts.
