Turkish authorities have detained individuals linked to a fatal shooting at a Catholic church in Istanbul, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
“Two murder suspects who caused the death of our citizen Tuncer Cihan during Sunday mass at Sariyer Santa Maria Church have been caught,” Yerlikaya told reporters on Sunday.
The incident, which occurred during Sunday mass at the Sariyer Santa Maria Church, resulted in the death of a person named Tuncer Cihan.
Yerlikaya praised the Istanbul police for their swift action in capturing the two suspects, both of whom are foreign nationals believed to be associated with the Daesh terrorist organization, with one being from Tajikistan and the other from Russia.
Following the incident, security operations led to the arrest of 47 individuals after raids at 30 locations, as reported by Yerlikaya.
The shooting, which took place in the Sariyer district, saw two assailants targeting churchgoers, leaving one 52-year-old victim dead but no other injuries.
The Istanbul Governor, Davut Gul, condemned the attack, while Yerlikaya noted that the shooting happened around 11:40 a.m. local time during the church’s morning mass and emphasized the ongoing extensive investigation to ensure all involved are apprehended, denouncing the attack as atrocious.
On his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Lesniak and Santa Maria’s priest, Rev. Anton Bulai, to offer his condolences.
Meanwhile, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu offered his condolences and support for religious minorities in the city, which like Turkey as a whole is primarily Muslim.
