Two masked gunmen assaulted the Santa Maria Church in the Sariyer district, during Sunday services in Istanbul, resulting in one fatality from a gunshot wound to the head, officials report.
Turkish broadcaster T24 confirmed the death and noted that the assailants fled the scene. Attendees took cover, but no additional injuries were reported.
Authorities are investigating the motive behind the attack and are pursuing the suspects, as announced by Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya: “A large-scale investigation into the issue and efforts to catch the attackers have been initiated. We strongly condemn this vile attack.”
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu emphasized the city’s commitment to unity and peace, vowing, “We will never allow those who try to destroy our unity and peace by attacking the religious places of our city.”
This incident follows a suicide bombing in Ankara four months ago and a series of deadly bombings in Turkey between 2015 and 2017 attributed to Islamic State and outlawed Kurdish groups.
