Gunman killed, two others wounded in shootout outside Israeli consulate in Istanbul

ANKARA: A gunman was killed and two other assailants were wounded in an exchange of fire with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, Turkish officials said, adding that two police officers sustained minor injuries.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said one of the attackers was killed in the incident, which took place at around 12:15pm local time. Turkish authorities did not immediately say whether the Israeli consulate was the intended target.

A source familiar with the matter told AFP that no Israeli diplomats are currently in Turkiye. According to the same source, Israeli diplomatic missions had been evacuated not only from Turkiye but across the region for security reasons shortly after the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israeli territory.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he described as a treacherous attack and said the country would continue to combat all forms of terrorism.

“We will not allow.. provocations to harm Turkiye's climate”, Erdogan said in a televised address.

Israel also praised the response by Turkish authorities. In a post on X, the Israeli foreign ministry said “We appreciate the Turkish security forces' swift action in thwarting this attack. Israeli missions around the world have been subjected to countless threats and terrorist attacks. Terror will not deter us”.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack also condemned the incident in a post on X. “The United States condemns in the strongest terms today's attack on the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul.”

“Attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order — and an assault on the principles that bind nations together”, he said, while also commending Turkiye and its security forces for what he called their swift and decisive response.

Details from Turkish authorities

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the attackers had travelled in a rented vehicle from Izmit, a city about 86 kilometres away. He added that one of them was linked to an organisation that exploits the region.

The interior ministry later said the dead attacker had connections with a terrorist group and confirmed that two police officers were slightly injured. The other two assailants were brothers, and that one of them had a drug-related record.

Turkish officials did not immediately identify the group involved. However, local media suggested it could be Daesh. The report came against the backdrop of previous clashes involving Daesh members and police in Yalova, a city on the Sea of Marmara southeast of Istanbul.

In December, Daesh militants opened fire on police in Yalova, killing three officers and injuring nine others. Following that attack, Turkish police intensified raids across the country and detained 125 suspects.

Witness account and investigation

Footage from the scene showed one attacker carrying an automatic rifle, wearing beige cargo trousers, a black top and a backpack. Television images also showed police opening fire near a busy road and an injured person being taken away on a stretcher.

A witness who asked not to be named told AFP “I saw gunfire suddenly break out.. It went on for quite a while, I saw a police officer collapse. People panicked”

According to Turkish media, the exchange of fire lasted about 10 minutes.

AFP journalists at the scene said a heavy police deployment was visible outside the consulate in the Levent business district on Istanbul’s European side. They also reported seeing bloodstains in a nearby parking area. The area around the consulate is normally subject to tight security and is already blocked off with police barriers.

The Istanbul public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident, while state-run TRT television reported that three suspects had been detained.

Daesh has previously carried out deadly attacks in Turkiye, including the 2017 assault on a nightclub in Istanbul in which 39 people were killed.