© Reuters. Turkish police stand guard exterior the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church after two masked gunmen had been taking pictures throughout Sunday service, in Istanbul, Turkey January 28, 2024. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
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ANKARA (Reuters) -Two masked gunmen shot one particular person useless throughout Sunday service at a church in Istanbul, Inside Minister Ali Yerlikaya mentioned, including that authorities had been working to seize the assailants.
Yerlikaya mentioned the assault, which Ankara condemned, happened round 0840 GMT on the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church within the Sariyer district, and that one particular person – who was focused by the gunmen – was killed whereas attending the service.
“A complete investigation was launched on the matter and work has been began to seize the attackers,” Yerlikaya mentioned on social media platform X.
Chatting with reporters exterior the church, Istanbul Governor Davut Gul mentioned the sufferer was a Turkish nationwide and that nobody else was harm. He mentioned the attackers solely fired at one particular person.
It was not instantly clear what the motive for the assault was or why the sufferer was focused. Footage from the positioning confirmed a number of police vehicles and an ambulance exterior the church.
President Tayyip Erdogan known as the church’s priest, an area administrator from his ruling celebration, and Poland’s consul basic in Istanbul to supply his condolences, his workplace mentioned.
Pope Francis conveyed his condolences over the assault after his weekly Angelus prayer.
“I specific my closeness to the neighborhood of Saint Mary Draperis Church in Istanbul that suffered an armed assault throughout mass that induced one loss of life,” he mentioned.