Attack on church in Istanbul: Police suspect Russian and Tajikistani citizens
Photo: Turkish police suspect a citizen of the Russian Federation in the attack on the church (Getty Images)
Turkish law enforcement detained 47 individuals in the case of the attack on a Catholic church in Istanbul, including a Russian citizen, according to the Minister of Interior of Türkiye, Ali Erlikaya.
Russian and Tajikistani citizens are suspected to be directly involved in the attack, believed to be members of the Islamic State.
Erlikaya also announced that after the attack, the police conducted a large-scale operation, detaining 47 individuals at 30 different addresses.
He stated that around 10:00 p.m. Kyiv time, those "suspected directly in the crime" were apprehended.
"Both of the suspects are foreign nationals. One of them is from Tajikistan and the other is Russian, and we evaluated them to be with Islamic State," said Yerlikaya.
He also mentioned that interrogations of all detainees will be conducted in the near future.
What preceded
On January 28th, armed individuals stormed into a Catholic church in the Sariyer district of Istanbul. One person was killed during the attack, which occurred during a church service. Two masked men entered the church and opened fire.
The perpetrators fled the scene of the tragedy. Turkish law enforcement initiated an investigation and is actively searching for the attackers.
