Two masked assailants attacked an Italian Catholic church in Istanbul on Sunday during mass, 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.
🔴 NEWS - #Turkey: Two masked attackers carried out a deadly #Islamist #terrorist attack against an Italian #church in #Istanbul during a Sunday religious ceremony, leading to the death of one person, according to the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.… pic.twitter.com/oyZKTm6RMY
— FranceNews24 (@FranceNews24) January 28, 2024
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.
Pope Francis expressed his “closeness” to the attacked Catholic church.
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.
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 killed 39 dead.