One person dies after gunmen attack Istanbul church during Mass

A person has died after masked gunmen have attacked an Istanbul church during Mass. Turkish officials have said that two “masked assailants” attacked the Santa Maria Church at around 11.40am. The Santa Maria Church is in the Sariyer district in Istanbul.

At the time of writing, it is not yet known what the motive of the attack is and whether it is linked to any group. Sky News reports that “T24 confirmed reports that one person died after being shot in the head during the attack. They also reported that the attackers escaped and others in the church threw themselves on the ground to protect themselves. No other injuries have been confirmed.”

Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has said on X that “A large-scale investigation into the issue and efforts to catch the attackers have been initiated. We strongly condemn this vile attack.” The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu has said “We will never allow those who try to destroy our unity and peace by attacking the religious places of our city."

In October 2023, Turkish authorities detained people with alleged links to the Kurdish militant group that claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of a government building in Ankara. The Financial Times reported in October 2023 that “The arrests come a day after two suicide bombers attacked Turkey’s interior ministry in a busy part of the capital that is home to many government buildings and businesses. One of the individuals blew himself up while the other was shot dead by police, Turkish authorities said. Two police officers were wounded in the attack.”