2 more injured in epidemic of cafe shootings in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

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Istanbul has witnessed an epidemic of teahouse shootings over the past three days that have killed at least three people and injured several others, with two more people wounded in the latest gunfire at a teahouse in Istanbul’s Sultangazi district on Feb. 3.

Two people were wounded after unidentified gunmen opened fire at a teahouse in Sultangazi’s Sultançiftliği late Feb. 3. The gunmen reportedly arrived at the scene with a white-colored sports car with no license plate number.

The two people injured were taken to hospital after the attack. One of them was reported to be in critical condition after suffering wounds to the head.   

Istanbul police have launched an operation to capture the perpetrators following the attack, saying the gunfire was not a terrorist act and occurred because of animosity among young residents of the neighborhood located in western Istanbul.

The shooting in Sultançiftliği is the third of its kind in recent days, as Istanbul witnessed two separate shootings on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 that killed at least three people and wounded several others. 

On Feb. 1, two masked men attacked a teahouse in the Kanarya neighborhood of the Küçükçekmece district of Istanbul with a long-barreled weapon and a handgun, killing two and wounding five others. Police reportedly detained six suspects over the attack. In a separate attack, gunmen opened fire at the site of a cultural association in Istanbul’s Eyüp district on Feb. 2, killing one and wounding three others. 

Police have opened an investigation into the shootings and conducted raids on various locations to find the suspects. 

There are no alleged links between the shootings.