One person died Armed attack on Catholic church Istanbul Turkish officials are reporting today during the Sunday service.
Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya, in his statement on his account on the
The Minister said, “Two masked people opened fire on CT, who was among the participants of the service, and unfortunately he lost his life.” Without giving further details about the identity of the deceased.
Yerlikaya said, “A comprehensive investigation has been launched to catch the attackers. We strongly condemn this cowardly attack.”
According to Turkish digital T24, the attackers entered the church during the service, their faces covered with balaclavas, and opened fire on the participants, causing one person to die after being shot in the head before escaping. He adds that there were also injuries, a point that has not been confirmed by authorities.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gül confirmed to the press The victim is not the priest of the church, However, the identity of the deceased was not stated.
According to Cumhuriyet newspaper, Gül said, “We talked to the abbot to express our condolences. There is not much to add. Two masked people enter the church, shoot a person and this person dies.” Several senior Turkish officials condemned the attack, presenting it as murder.
Ömer Çelik, spokesman for the Islamist AKP party that has ruled Turkey since 2002, wrote on the X network: “We strongly condemn the armed attack on one of our citizens during the service at the Virgin Mary Church in Istanbul.”
Located in the Sarıyer district in the northern part of Istanbul, on the shores of the Bosphorus, St. Mary’s Church was built in 1866 and is also known as the “Sarıyer Italian Church”.