Turkish authorities have arrested two gunmen suspected of killing one person during a church mass in Istanbul on Sunday, Interior Minister Ali Jerlikaya said, in an attack claimed by the so-called Islamic State.
Jerlikaya said the attack, which Ankara condemned, took place around 8:40 a.m. at St. Mary's Italian Catholic Church in Istanbul's Sariyer district, and that a Turkish citizen was killed while attending the service.
"Two murder suspects who caused the death of our citizen Tuncer Čihan during the Sunday service at the Church of St. Mary in Sarier have been arrested," Jerlikaja announced on the X network (formerly Twitter), without specifying the motive of the attack or who carried it out.
Shortly before that, the so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on the Telegram network, saying it was in response to a call by the terrorist group's leader to attack Jews and Christians.
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Surveillance camera footage from inside the church, confirmed by Reuters, shows masked gunmen entering the building and shooting a man who was walking in front of them. Surveillance footage shows the attackers leaving afterwards.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the priest of the church to express his condolences and support, his office said, releasing a video of the call.
During Sunday's mass, Pope Francis expressed his condolences for the attack.
"I express my condolences to the community of the Church of St. Mary Draperis in Istanbul, which suffered an armed attack during mass that caused the death of one person," Pope Francis said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni tweeted at Xo that the Italian Foreign Ministry was monitoring news of the "despicable act" and condemned him.
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