Nine suspects have been formally arrested over last week’s gun attack near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul, judicial officials have said. The assault left one attacker dead and two Turkish police officers lightly wounded.
On 7 April, three gunmen opened fire on Turkish police stationed near the consulate building in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
In the ensuing gun battle, one attacker was killed and two others were arrested after sustaining injuries.
Two police officers were also lightly wounded in the exchange.
ISIS link confirmed
Initially, judicial officials said the attack had been planned and carried out by a “group that exploits religion”, without naming the organisation in question.
Authorities have since said that the ISIS terrorist group - also known as “Daesh” - was behind the attack.
On Sunday, Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the suspects had “acted within the group’s hierarchy, maintained ties to the organisation, and knowingly assisted the attackers.”
It added that a total of 17 suspects, including the two perpetrators, had so far been detained in connection with the attack, nine of whom have been formally charged.
No Israeli personnel were present at the consulate building when the incident occurred.
Following the attack, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said the consulate’s Israeli staff had not worked at the building for roughly two and a half years.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry also later confirmed that no Israeli personnel were in the building at the time of the attack.
Relations between Türkiye and Israel nosedived after the eruption of the Gaza war in 2023, leading to the withdrawal of diplomats from both countries.
Ongoing investigation
Since then, a heavy police presence has remained deployed around Israel’s Istanbul consulate due to security concerns.
Judicial officials recently stated that initial findings showed that last week’s attack had targeted Turkish police officers stationed in the area.
An investigation by Istanbul’s chief public prosecutor remains ongoing.
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