A man and a woman targeted a police checkpoint in front of the Caglayan courthouse
Security measures are taken at the site after attempted attack at Istanbul Caglayan courthouse in Istanbul, Turkiye on February 6, 2024. © Oguz Yeter / Anadolu via Getty Images
Six people were wounded in an alleged terrorist attack in front of a courthouse in Istanbul, the Turkish Interior Ministry has said, adding that the attackers had been ‘neutralized’. The shooting comes just a week after two gunmen attacked a Catholic church in the city, killing one.
Two perpetrators, a man and a woman, opened fire at a police checkpoint in front of the Caglayan courthouse at around 9am GMT on Tuesday, injuring six people, including three police officers, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Police managed to prevent a broader attack on a security checkpoint at the courthouse, which was allegedly the actual target, according to the minister.
Olay anı bölgedeki güvenlik kameraları ve cep telefonları tarafından kaydedildi https://t.co/RGgq9BhX4Opic.twitter.com/FpbSVNJVKG
— Anadolu Ajansı (@anadoluajansi) February 6, 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed later on Tuesday that one of the people injured in the attack had died. “I pray God’s mercy for one of our wounded people walking to God,” he said, wishing a speedy recovery to the other victims.
The president also praised the country’s security forces for stopping the attackers before they could achieve their “nefarious goals” and vowed that Türkiye will continue its fight against terrorist organizations “without any discrimination.”
Videos shared on social media showed people running away in panic with some lying down on the ground as the shooters opened fire.
The courthouse has been cordoned off by police and increased security measures have been taken, according to local media reports.
The attackers were killed on-site during a shoot-out with the police, Yerlikaya informed, adding that an investigation was underway.
He said the perpetrators were identified as members of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front (DHKP-C), a far-left terrorist group that has targeted military and political figures for more than three decades.
READ MORE: Man killed in Istanbul Catholic church (GRAPHIC VIDEO)
The incident comes months after a similar attack in front of the police headquarters in the capital Ankara last autumn. In October of last year, two police officers were injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near the entrance of the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Turkey’s capital, Ankara. A second assailant was later killed in a shootout with police. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing.
