Two militants killed after attack on police station in Istanbul
ISTANBUL
AA Photos
Two militants have been killed after they opened fire at a riot police station in Istanbul’s Bayrampaşa district early March 3, wounding two police officers.
The duo, identified as Berna Yılmaz and Çiğdem Yahşi, both reported to be militants from the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party Front (DHKP-C), arrived at the scene in a taxi and opened fire at the police station. The police responded with fire and wounded one of the militants. The two women later escaped into nearby alleyways on foot.
Police launched an operation in the surrounding neighborhoods to apprehend the perpetrators, blocking off entry and exit to streets in the area.
The militants were later trapped inside a building in the area, where an operation was launched after surrounding buildings were evacuated. The operation was supported by a police helicopter, according to Doğan News Agency.
Istanbul Gov. Vasip Şahin visited the scene and announced that both militants were killed during the operation. Şahin said two police officers were also wounded; one sustained injuries during the attack while the other was wounded during the operation.
“Two female terrorists carried out an attack on the C gate of the anti-riot police station at 9:45 a.m. The two terrorists were neutralized during operations that followed the attack,” Şahin said, speaking to reporters in the aftermath of the attack.
The bodies of the militants were taken out of the building after the operation and then to the Istanbul Forensic Institute for medical examination. The examination lasted for more than four hours for that of each.
Meanwhile, reports have shed light on criminal records of the militants after their identification process was complete. Doğan News Agency reported that Yılmaz was one of two students who stretched a placard reading “we want education to be free of charge and we will get it” at a meeting titled “Roma Initiative” in 2011 that was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan was the country’s prime minister at the time. Yılmaz served 20 months in prison for unfurling the pancard.
The attack came less than a year after two DHKP-C militants attacked the U.S. consulate in Istanbul located in Istanbul’s Sarıyer district, having similarities with the one carried out on Aug. 10, 2015, as one of the perpetrators of the attack on the well-guarded consulate building was reportedly female.
Police launched an operation in the surrounding neighborhoods to apprehend the perpetrators, blocking off entry and exit to streets in the area.
The militants were later trapped inside a building in the area, where an operation was launched after surrounding buildings were evacuated. The operation was supported by a police helicopter, according to Doğan News Agency.
Istanbul Gov. Vasip Şahin visited the scene and announced that both militants were killed during the operation. Şahin said two police officers were also wounded; one sustained injuries during the attack while the other was wounded during the operation.
“Two female terrorists carried out an attack on the C gate of the anti-riot police station at 9:45 a.m. The two terrorists were neutralized during operations that followed the attack,” Şahin said, speaking to reporters in the aftermath of the attack.
The bodies of the militants were taken out of the building after the operation and then to the Istanbul Forensic Institute for medical examination. The examination lasted for more than four hours for that of each.
Meanwhile, reports have shed light on criminal records of the militants after their identification process was complete. Doğan News Agency reported that Yılmaz was one of two students who stretched a placard reading “we want education to be free of charge and we will get it” at a meeting titled “Roma Initiative” in 2011 that was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan was the country’s prime minister at the time. Yılmaz served 20 months in prison for unfurling the pancard.
The attack came less than a year after two DHKP-C militants attacked the U.S. consulate in Istanbul located in Istanbul’s Sarıyer district, having similarities with the one carried out on Aug. 10, 2015, as one of the perpetrators of the attack on the well-guarded consulate building was reportedly female.
