Gunmen attack building housing Israeli Consulate in Istanbul

Three assailants opened fire at police outside a building housing the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, sparking a gunfight that left one attacker dead, Turkish officials said. The two other assailants were wounded and captured.

Two police officers sustained slight injuries in the clash, Istanbul Gov. Davut Gul told reporters. The assailants were carrying long-barrelled weapons.

Interior Minister Mustafa Cifti wrote on X that the attackers had travelled from the city of Izmit, some 100 kilometres east of Istanbul, in a rented car. One of the assailants was linked to a group he described as “exploiting religion,” without naming the organisation. The Islamic State group has carried out deadly attacks in Turkiye in the past. The two wounded assailants are brothers, identified as Onur C and Enes C.

The first has a criminal record related to drugs. Both are being interrogated, according to the Interior Ministry.

Video from the attack showed one assailant carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle, wearing a brown backpack and hiding behind a bus when exchanging fire with police. A police officer falls to the ground, apparently having been shot, and then rolls away to get behind a tree for cover.

One of the police officers was wounded in the leg and the other in the ear, the Interior Ministry said.

The consulate is located in a high-rise building in Levent, one of the city’s main business districts. Officials said there are no Israeli diplomats present in Israeli missions in Turkiye. Israel withdrew its diplomats amid security concerns and deteriorating relations with Turkiye during the war in Gaza.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said three prosecutors, including a deputy chief prosecutor, have been assigned to lead an investigation.

Police sealed off the building and blocked several roads, while forensic experts in white protective suits combed the area for evidence.

The US ambassador to Turkiye, Tom Barrack, condemned the attack and praised Turkish authorities for “their swift and decisive response.” “Attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order - and an assault on the principles that bind nations together,” he wrote on X.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry also denounced the attack and praised the Turkish security forces’ “swift action in thwarting this attack.”