Gunman killed, 2 wounded in shootout outside Israel’s Istanbul consulate

A gunman was killed and two others wounded in a shootout Tuesday with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, the local governor said, adding two officers were lightly wounded.

Turkish public broadcaster TRT had previously reported that two of the three attackers had been killed.

Authorities have identified the assailants.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said they arrived in Istanbul by a rental vehicle from Izmit and one of the assailants was affiliated with an “organisation that exploits the region”.

Turkish officials would not immediately reveal the group the attacker was linked to but Turkish media said it could be Islamic State group, whose members clashed with Turkish police in Yalova — which lies on the shores of the Sea of Marmara about 90 kilometres (55 miles) southeast of Istanbul.

IS militants opened fire on police in Yalova in December, killing three officers and wounding nine others.

One of the two assailants in Tuesday’s shootout– who are brothers — has a drug record, the minister said.

AFP