Tv photos confirmed police and an ambulance outdoors the ornate church.
Istanbul, Turkey:
Two males launched an armed assault on an Italian church in Istanbul throughout a spiritual ceremony on Sunday, leaving one individual lifeless, Turkey’s inside minister mentioned.
The assault occurred at round 11:40 (0840 GMT) on the Santa Maria church within the Sariyer district of Istanbul and was carried out by two masked males, Ali Yerlikaya mentioned on social media.
He added that an investigation had been launched.
Tv photos confirmed police and an ambulance outdoors the ornate church.
The minister mentioned a person recognized solely as CT — who was amongst these attending Sunday’s service — had died after the armed assault.
“We strongly condemn this vile assault,” Yerlikaya mentioned.
The motive for the assault was not instantly clear.
In December, Turkish safety forces detained 32 suspects over alleged hyperlinks with Islamic State jihadists who have been planning assaults on church buildings and synagogues, in addition to the Iraqi embassy.
IS extremists have carried out a string of assaults on Turkish soil, together with in opposition to a nightclub in Istanbul in 2017 that left 39 folks lifeless.