Turkish police shoot three gunmen in clash outside Israel's Istanbul consulate

Police "neutralised" three gunmen in a firefight outside Israel's consulate in Istanbul, authorities said, with one attacker killed and two others severely wounded.

CNN Turk reported that police first asked the gunmen to stop as they approached the building housing the consulate and a gunfight broke out after they refused to comply. 

The gunmen are believed to have been trying to reach the consulate building and get to the level where Israel's diplomatic offices are located, it added.

"Three individuals who engaged in an armed clash with our police officers on duty in front of the Yapı Kredi Plaza Blocks in Istanbul have been neutralised. In the clash, two of our heroic police officers sustained minor injuries," Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said.

"The identities of the terrorists have been identified. It has been determined that the individuals, who arrived in Istanbul by a rental vehicle from Izmit, include one with ties to an organisation that exploits religion; and it has also been established that one of the two terrorists, who are brothers, has a drug record."

Even though the interior minister did not name it directly, the authorities said that one of the suspects had a connection to the Islamic State group (IS).

Izmit and nearby areas, including Yalova, are seen as places with increased numbers of IS sympathisers.

In December, an intense firefight broke out with IS suspects during a raid on a house in the city of Yalova, resulting in the deaths of three police officers. Six suspects were also killed.

Turkish officials conducted several raids throughout the country last year, arresting many suspects allegedly linked to the militant group. 

Hasan Oymez, a Turkish official, said that the authorities were not sure whether the Israeli consulate was the target, since it was vacant, with investigations underway to determine the motive.

Oymez said that the identities of the suspects were O.C., E.C., and Y.E.S.

“Among the brothers, O.C. has a record of drug use,” he said. “They rented the vehicle in the name of E.C., who has a clean record. Intense phone contact was detected among the three individuals.”

The official added that Y.E.S. was found dead after the clash.

Video footage and other images of the incident indicate that the suspects had long guns and backpacks, potentially ready to fight the security forces for a long time. 

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said that several prosecutors have been tasked to investigate the attack. 

Israel's consulate has been empty since Israel recalled its diplomatic and consular staff from Turkey for security reasons after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks.

Turkish police forces have also deployed additional units to the Israeli missions in Istanbul and Ankara since 2023. 

Tensions have been high between Turkey and Israel due to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Ankara has also opposed and tried to stop the US-Israeli war on Iran.