Istanbul, attack on a church during Mass: one dead

The Catholic community of St Mary's in the Sariyer district was targeted. Two men with masked faces opened fire on the faithful, killing one person. In December, the Turkish authorities had arrested an Isis cell that planned attacks against churches and synagogues.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) - One person was killed this morning during an attack on the parish of Saint Mary, run by Franciscan friars, in Istanbul, while the celebration of the Eucharist was in progress.

The attack against the church - located in the Sariyer district, overlooking the Bosphorus - took place at around 11.40 am.

A man named Tuncer Cihan, who was attending the service, was killed.

Speaking to the Associated Press agency, the victim's nephew pointed out that the target of the attackers was the church and not his uncle. "He was a mentally disabled man who had no ties to politics or criminal organisations. He was invited to the celebration and was a victim of fate," said Cagin Cihan.

Security footage showed a pair of men wearing black balaclavas entering the church at the time of the attack. According to Turkish security forces, about 40 people were present at the Mass. Some sources speak of injured people, but their condition is unclear at the moment.

According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences in a phone call to the pastor of the St. Mary's Church. He assured that 'all necessary measures are being taken to catch the perpetrators as soon as possible'. Istanbul governor Davut Gül stated that 'the motive for the attack was not immediately clarified'.

In December, Turkish security forces arrested 32 suspects for alleged links to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). At the time, investigators alleged that they were planning attacks against churches and synagogues and against the Iraqi embassy.

The bloodiest precedent for an Isis-sanctioned attack in Istanbul was the attack carried out on New Year's Eve 2017 against a nightclub in the Beşiktaş district, where hundreds of people were celebrating the New Year. As many as 39 people were killed and 69 others injured.