ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Arrests made after masked assailants attack a Catholic church in Istanbul, killing 1 person

Turkish police officers stand guard in a cordoned off area outside the Santa Maria church, in Istanbul, Turkyie, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. Two masked assailants attacked a church in Istanbul during Sunday services, killing one person, Turkish officials said. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Turkish police officers stand guard in a cordoned off area outside the Santa Maria church, in Istanbul, Turkyie, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. Two masked assailants attacked a church in Istanbul during Sunday services, killing one person, Turkish officials said. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Share
ISTANBUL -

Two masked assailants attacked a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul during a Sunday Mass, killing one person, Turkish officials said.

The armed assailants attacked the Santa Maria Church in the Sariyer district at 11:40 a.m., Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement on the X platform. He didn't specify what kind of weapons were used or whether anyone was wounded.

Turkish authorities didn't formally identify the victim, but local media said the person killed had the initials C.T. and was 52 years old.

Hours later, Yerlikaya announced that two men he described as members of the Islamic State extremist movement had been arrested as the suspected attackers. One of the supects is from Tajikistan and the other from Russia, he said at a news conference just after midnight.

Yerlikaya said police had raided 30 locations and detained a total of 47 people as part of the investigation into the attack.

"We will never tolerate those who try to disrupt the peace of our country -- terrorists, their collaborators, both national and international criminal groups, and those who aim at our unity and solidarity," Yerlikaya said.

A short video circulating on social media apparently shows the moment of the attack, with two masked men entering the church and opening fire, with all service-goers hitting the floor. The two men then flee.

Turkish authorities instituted a media ban on coverage of the attack.

Sukru Genc, mayor of the Sariyer district where the attack took place, told the newspaper Birgun that the gunmen fled when their weapon jammed after having fired two rounds. Genc said that among the attendees was Polish Consul General Witold Lesniak and his family, who were all unharmed in the attack.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Lesniak and Santa Maria's priest, Rev. Anton Bulai, to offer his condolences. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu offered his condolences and support for religious minorities in the city, which like Turkiye as a whole is primarily Muslim.

"There are no minorities in this city or this country. We are all actual citizens," he told reporters.

Pope Francis noted the attack in remarks to the public at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on Sunday.

"I express my closeness to the community of (the church) in Istanbul, which during the Mass suffered an armed attack with one dead and some wounded," the pontiff said.

The church is run by an Italian order of Franciscan friars. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his ministry was following the situation along with the Italian Embassy in Turkiye's capital, Ankara, and the consulate in Istanbul.

"I express my condolence and firm condemnation for the vile attack on Santa Maria Church," Tajani tweeted. He added that "I am certain that the Turkish authorities will arrest those responsible."

------

A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the name of the church is the Santa Maria Church, not the Santa Maria Draperis Church.

Correction

A previous version of this story was corrected to show that the name of the church is the Santa Maria Church, not the Santa Maria Draperis Church.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.