Two assailants, one of whom was a former employee, seized seven people as hostages inside a factory on the eastern outskirts of Istanbul. A local newspaper reported on the incident, which began to unfold amid a tense standoff.
Initial details indicated that one gunman aimed to protest events in the Gaza Strip, prompting the employees of the Procter & Gamble facility near Istanbul to be held at gunpoint while security forces closed in on the scene.
Witnesses described two armed men wearing items that appeared to be bomb-like devices. One of the attackers was identified as İbrahim Y., a former factory worker who had been involved in painting prior to the incident, according to the publication.
The same outlet noted that the former employee had shared photographs of the hostages on social media. It was reported that seven individuals, including a woman, were being held; all were said to be in good condition at that time.
The newspaper added that one of the attackers had allowed a celebration for a birthday because the situation was already prepared to proceed in that manner during the day of the incident.
Separately, a gunman, in December, seized a truck driver near a highway about 100 kilometers from Istanbul and demanded an audience with the head of Turkey’s Ministry of Interior, a post held by Ali Yerlikaya.
Earlier reports from Turkey indicated the detention of Shamil Amirov, described as a leader within a Russian-organized crime group, by Turkish authorities.