2024-01-29T05:15:07+00:00
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/ Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Monday the arrest of two gunmen who shot and killed a person yesterday during a mass inside a church in Istanbul, suggesting that the gunmen were linked to ISIS.
The minister had said earlier that the attack, which Ankara condemned, occurred at 08:40 GMT in the Roman Catholic Church of Santa Maria in the Sariyir district of Istanbul, and targeted a Turkish citizen, leading to his death during mass.
Later, the minister told reporters that authorities had raided more than 30 locations across Istanbul and arrested 47 people so far.
He added that the two suspects were arrested in one of the recent raids, according to Reuters.
“Both suspects are foreign citizens. One is from Tajikistan, the other is Russian, and according to our assessment, they are from ISIS,” Yerlikaya said, adding that they would be questioned about the attack.
Earlier, ISIS, in a post on Telegram, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it came in response to a call from the organization’s leaders to target Jews and Christians.
Video footage from inside the church, verified by Reuters, showed the two masked gunmen entering the building and shooting the man who was walking in front of them.
The footage shows the two men leaving the scene immediately afterwards.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office said he contacted the church’s pastor and a local official from the ruling party to offer his condolences.
Pope Francis offered his condolences after praying the weekly Angelus.
He said, “I express my solidarity with the Church of Santa Maria… in Istanbul after it was subjected to an armed attack during mass, which led to the death of one person.”