Turkish authorities have detained nine people as part of an investigation into an attack on police outside a building housing the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul, which left one assailant dead, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday.
Officials said two other attackers were wounded and captured during Tuesday’s gunfight in the city’s financial and business district. Two police officers also sustained minor injuries.
Israel had withdrawn its diplomats from Turkey due to security concerns and worsening ties with Ankara shortly after the Gaza war began, and officials said the consulate was closed at the time of the attack.
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Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said one of the assailants had links to a group that he claimed “exploits religion,” without naming the organisation.
According to Anadolu Agency, security forces detained nine suspects in operations in Istanbul as well as in the provinces of Konya and Kocaeli. The suspects are being questioned along with the two injured attackers, though no further details were provided.
Ciftci said the attackers had travelled from Izmit in Kocaeli province in a rented car. The two injured assailants are brothers - identified as Onur C. and Enes C. - with the former having a criminal record related to drugs.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the attack and praised Turkish authorities for preventing further violence.