Two masked assailants attacked an Italian Catholic church during mass in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday January 28, leaving one dead, announced Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The attack occurred around 11:40 a.m. local time (08:40 GMT) at Santa Maria Church, in the Sariyer district of Istanbul, the Interior Minister announced on social networks. An investigation has been opened, he added.
Television images showed police officers and an ambulance outside the church gate.
According to the minister, a person who attended the celebration, simply identified by his initials CT, was killed.
“We strongly condemn this despicable attack,” added Ali Yerlikaya.
The attackers targeted this person in the middle of mass, denounced Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the ruling AKP party (Party for Justice and Development).
“Our security forces are carrying out a full-scale investigation into this matter,” he said. “Those who threaten the peace and security of our citizens will never achieve their goals.” The motive for this attack was not immediately known.
Those responsible actively sought
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed his “strong condemnation” on Sunday after the attack. “I express my condolences and my firm condemnation for the cowardly attack perpetrated against the church of Santa Maria,” Antonio Tajani wrote on saying "certain that the Turkish authorities will arrest those responsible".
Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his "proximity" with the Italian Catholic Church in Istanbul. “I express my closeness to the community of the Santa Maria Draperis Church in Istanbul, which during the mass suffered an armed attack which left one dead and several injured,” declared the Argentine pope after the prayer of the Angelus in St. Peter's Square, in the Vatican.
In December, Turkish security forces arrested 32 suspects, alleged members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, suspected of planning attacks against synagogues, churches and the Iraqi embassy. The arrests were made in nine different cities, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara.
Turkey has in recent months intensified operations against members of IS, which has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly attacks in Turkey, including one on January 1, 2017 in an Istanbul nightclub, which left 39 dead.
With AFP
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