Gunmen attack building housing Israeli Consulate in Istanbul

The two wounded assailants are brothers, identified as Onur C. and Enes C. The first has a criminal record related to drugs. Both are being interrogated, according to the Interior Ministry.

Video from the attack showed one assailant carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle, wearing a brown backpack, and hiding behind a bus when exchanging fire with police. A police officer falls to the ground, apparently having been shot, and then rolls away to get behind a tree for cover.

One of the police officers was injured in the leg while the other in the ear, the Interior Ministry said.

The consulate is located in a high-rise building in Levent, one of the city’s main business districts. Officials said there are no Israeli diplomats present in Israeli missions in Turkey. Israel withdrew its diplomats amid security concerns and deteriorating relations with Turkey, following the war in Gaza.

Turkey’s Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said three prosecutors, including a deputy chief prosecutor, have been assigned to lead an investigation.

The U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, condemned the attack and praised Turkish authorities for “their swift and decisive response.”

“Attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order — and an assault on the principles that bind nations together,” he wrote on X.

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A previous version of this article, relying on Turkey’s Haberturk news, incorrectly reported that two attackers had been killed. Only one of the three assailants was killed, while the other two were captured with injuries, according to Turkish officials.

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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

Khalil Hamra And Suzan Fraser, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Gunmen attack building housing Israeli Consulate in Istanbul

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