Turkish authorities apprehended attackers who killed one person in Istanbul church

(Patria) - Turkish authorities apprehended two armed attackers who killed one person during a service at a church in Istanbul on Sunday and are believed to be linked to the Islamic State, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Reuters reports.

Yerlikaya had previously said the attack, which Ankara condemned, occurred around 08:40 GMT in the
Italian Catholic Church of Santa Maria in Istanbul's Sariyer district, and that one Turkish citizen, who was targeted by the armed attackers, was killed while attending the service.

Addressing reporters, Yerlikaya said raids were carried out at more than 30 locations across Istanbul and that 47 people were arrested. The suspects were apprehended in one of the latest raids, he said.

"Both suspects are foreign nationals. One of them is from Tajikistan, and the other is Russian, and we assessed that they are members of the Islamic State," Yerlikaya said.

Earlier, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Telegram, stating that it was a response to the group's leaders' call to target Jews and Christians.

President Tayyip Erdogan called the church priest to express his condolences and support, his office announced, releasing a video of the call.

Pope Francis conveyed his condolences for the attack after the Sunday Angelus prayer. Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said on X that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is monitoring the latest information on the "heinous act" and condemned it.

The Islamic State has carried out numerous attacks across Turkey, including at an Istanbul nightclub on January 1, 2017, which killed 39 people.

Yerlikaya said that Turkish authorities have arrested 2,086 people suspected of links to the Islamic State during 1,046 operations since June 2023, and that 529 people have been arrested.