Gunman killed in Istanbul shootout outside Israel's mission

'Attacker had connections with terror group'

ISTANBUL:

A gunman was killed and two others wounded in a shootout on Tuesday with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, the local governor said, adding two officers were lightly wounded.

Governor Davut Gul confirmed the killing of one of the assailants during the attack that took place around 12:15 pm. It was not immediately clear if the intended target was the Israeli consulate.

No Israeli diplomats "are currently on Turkish soil", a source familiar with the matter told AFP.

Israeli diplomatic missions had been evacuated "not only in Turkiye but throughout the region for security reasons" shortly after the October 7, 2023 attack that followed Israel's military campaign in Gaza, according to the same source.

Israel said it would not be cowed down, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the "treacherous attack" and vowed to fight "all kinds of terrorism".

"We will not allow … provocations to harm Turkiye's climate of security," Erdogan said in a televised speech.

"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," the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X.

Turkish public broadcaster TRT had previously reported that two of the three attackers had been killed. Authorities have identified the assailants.

Turkiye's Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the assailants came in a rented vehicle from Izmit, a city about 86 kilometres (50 miles) away and that one of them was linked to an "organisation that exploits the region".

The ministry later clarified that the dead gunman "had connections with a terrorist group" and said two policemen were "slightly injured".

The remaining two assailants were brothers and one has a drug record, it added. Footage showed one attacker armed with an automatic rifle, dressed in beige cargo pants and black top and carrying a backpack.

Istanbul public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation while the state-run TRT television reported that three suspects were detained. "The United States condemns in the strongest terms today's attack on the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul," US Ambassador to Turkiye Tom Barrack said on X.

"Attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order - and an assault on the principles that bind nations together," he added, while commending Turkiye and Turkish security forces for "their swift and decisive response".

IS has carried out deadly attacks in Turkey, including one at a nightclub in Istanbul that killed 39 people in 2017.