ISTANBUL (AFP).- In the middle of the War in the Middle East and escalating tension in the region, Two police officers were injured this Tuesday in front of the Israeli consulate in Istanbulreported state television TRT. According to the private broadcaster NTV and the DHA press agency, three suspects were “neutralized.”
“No Israeli diplomat is currently in Turkish territory“said a source close to the case. The diplomatic office has been closed for some time and there were only police officers guarding the building.
The shots were heard at 12 (local time) near the Israeli consulate located in Beşiktaş and lasted approximately 10 minutes, during which the shooters opened fire on the Police.
It was determined that the attackers were wearing camouflage clothing along with backpacks and were carrying long firearms. The Minister of the Interior, Mustafa Ciftçi, declared that the attack was carried out by an organization that “exploits religion,” according to what he published NTV.
In images broadcast by the NTV channel, officers are seen shooting near a busy street and a person evacuated on a stretcher.
After the attack, numerous teams were sent to the scene and three suspects were neutralized. One of them was confirmed dead and the other two were injured.
Çiftçi also indicated that the identities of “the terrorists” and noted that they arrived in Istanbul from İzmit in two vehicles. “One of the identified individuals has ties to an organization that instrumentalizes religion. Then there are two men who are brothers; “One of them has a history related to drug trafficking,” added the Turkish official.
The NTV network published that the attackers were identified as members of the ISISone of the branches of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. It is about the jihadist militia that a decade ago came to control an important strip of land between Iraq and Syria. It is also known for having “cells” in various parts of the region.
According to the medium HurriyetAccording to the first evaluations of the security forces, it was a “planned assassination attempt” towards consulate employees.
The governor of Istanbul, Davut Gül, described the confrontation as “a clearly provocative act.” The Minister of Justice, Akın Gürlek, announced that an investigation had been launched.
Israeli diplomatic legations had been evacuated throughout the region for security reasons shortly after the attack by the Hamas terrorist group on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
In December, a clash in Yalova province, south of Istanbul, left nine dead, including three police officers and six heavily armed suspects accused of belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group. The authorities announced shortly afterwards the arrest of 125 people suspected of being affiliated with the IS jihadists..
