A violent shootout outside the building hosting Israel’s closed consulate in Istanbul has left one attacker dead and sparked a cross-provincial counter-terrorism operation that resulted in the detention of nine suspects, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency confirmed Wednesday.
The incident unfolded Tuesday in Istanbul’s central business and financial district, when three assailants opened fire on Turkish police officers deployed near the consulate building. A rapid exchange of gunfire left one attacker killed on site, while the other two — identified as brothers Onur C. and Enes C. — were wounded and taken into custody immediately. Two responding police officers also suffered minor injuries in the clash, Turkish officials confirmed.
In the wake of the attack, Turkish security forces launched sweeping arrest operations across three regions: Istanbul itself, as well as the provinces of Konya and Kocaeli, where the nine suspects were ultimately apprehended. All nine detainees are now being questioned alongside the two wounded captured attackers, according to Anadolu Agency, which did not release additional details on the suspects’ backgrounds or alleged ties to the attack.
Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci confirmed that the attackers traveled to Istanbul from Izmit, a city in Kocaeli province, in a rented vehicle. He also noted that one of the captured attackers — Onur C. — has a prior criminal record connected to drug offenses. Speaking on the ideological links of the cell, Ciftci stated that one of the assailants has connections to a group that “exploits religion,” though he stopped short of publicly naming the organization. The region has a history of large-scale deadly attacks carried out by the Islamic State group, which has targeted Turkish soil multiple times in recent decades.
Context for the empty consulate building dates back to the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Shortly after hostilities began earlier this year, Israel withdrew all its diplomatic personnel from Turkey and shuttered the Istanbul consulate, citing growing security risks and rapidly deteriorating bilateral relations between Jerusalem and Ankara. At the time of Tuesday’s attack, no Israeli diplomatic staff were present in the building.
Shortly after the clash, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued an official statement condemning the attack, and expressed gratitude to Turkish law enforcement for their rapid response that prevented a higher death toll.