One person was killed after two masked gunmen attacked a church in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The incident occurred in the district’s Büyükdere neighborhood around 11:40am local time (3:40aET) while the Santa Maria Church was holding a Sunday service, Yerlikaya said.
A “large-scale investigation” has been launched and authorities are trying to find the two attackers, he added.
“We strongly condemn this vile attack,” the minister said.
The motive of the attack is unknown.
Turkey’s Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc condemned the attack and said the Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor and two other public prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the incident.
“Efforts continue to identify and capture the suspects who carried out the attack. The investigation is being carried out in a multifaceted and meticulous manner,” Tunc added.
This is a developing story and will be updated.