A gunman was killed and two others injured in a shootout with police on Tuesday outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, local authorities confirmed. Two police officers were also lightly wounded in the incident.
Turkish authorities have identified the assailants. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the attackers arrived in Istanbul from Izmit in a rental vehicle. One of the gunmen was linked to an organisation operating in the region. Turkish media have speculated that the group may be affiliated with the Islamic State (IS).
Reports indicate that two of the three attackers, who are brothers, were killed in the confrontation. One of them has a prior drug record, the minister added.
The incident echoes a previous clash in December in Yalova, about 90 kilometres southeast of Istanbul, where IS militants opened fire on police, killing three officers and wounding nine others.
Turkish authorities have not yet released further details about the attackers’ group affiliation or motives, as investigations continue.