Two suspects nabbed after shooting at Catholic church in İstanbul
ISTANBUL
Turkish security forces have caught two gunmen who killed a man in an armed attack on a Catholic church in Istanbul, with the assailants believed to have ties with the ISIL terrorist organization, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced.
Two masked men carried out the attack at around 11:40 am (0840 GMT) at the Santa Maria church in the Sarıyer district, on the European side of Türkiye's largest city, Yerlikaya said on social media.
Turkish officials said it looked like a targeted attack against one person rather than against the Catholic church.
“Both of the suspects are foreign nationals. One of them is from Tajikistan and the other is Russian. We evaluated them to be with the ISIL,” the interior minister told reporters late on Jan. 28.
Conducting raids on more than 30 locations in Istanbul, the security forces apprehended 47 suspects believed to be involved in the attack, Yerlikaya added.
Meanwhile, local media reported that Tuncer Cihan, who was killed in the attack, was a Muslim and had been visiting the church for some time and was on good terms with the congregation.
Speaking to daily Hürriyet, his sister noted that Cihan was mentally disabled and had spent time at the church for the past two months and frequently attended Sunday services.
Istanbul governor Davut Gül said there had been no other injuries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in the central Anatolian province of Eskişehir for his ruling party's rally ahead of March local elections, expressed condolences during a phone call with the priest of the Italian church and other local officials.
"Necessary steps are being taken to catch the perpetrators as soon as possible," he said, according to his office.
Local officials said around 40 people attended the mass suggested that, but for a weapons malfunction, there might have been more casualties.
"After the second shot, the gun didn't work, and then they (the attackers) ran," Sariyer district's mayor, Şükrü Genç, told reporters.
"At this moment, everyone lay on the floor. There were around 35 to 40 people inside."
Pope Francis expressed his support for the Catholic Church after the attack in comments at the end of his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also expressed his "condolences and firm condemnation" over the attack and backed the Turkish authorities to find the killers.
Widespread condemnation
The incident comes more than a week after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Erdoğan in Istanbul.
Türkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman, Omer Celik, said the attackers took aim at a citizen during the mass.
"Our security forces are conducting a large-scale investigation into the matter," he said. "Those who threaten the peace and security of our citizens will never achieve their goals."
In December last year, Turkish security forces detained 32 suspects over alleged links with the ISIL group, which was planning attacks on churches and synagogues, as well as the Iraqi embassy.
ISIL extremists have carried out a string of attacks on Turkish soil, including one against a nightclub in Istanbul in 2017 that left 39 people dead.
In its statement Sunday, the ISIL said the attack had been carried out in response to the group leader's call to kill Jews and Christians everywhere.
