Ali Yerlikaya, the interior minister of Turkey, released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating that one person was killed following an attack on a church in the Sarıyer area of Istanbul by two masked gunmen.

According to Yerlikaya, the event happened in the Büyükdere neighborhood of the district at approximately 11:40 a.m. local time (3:40 a.m. ET) during a Sunday worship at the Santa Maria Church.


He said that authorities have started a "large-scale investigation" and are looking for the two perpetrators.

“We strongly condemn this vile attack,” the minister said.

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The motive of the attack is unknown.

Turkey’s Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc condemned the attack and said the Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor and two other public prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the incident.

“Efforts continue to identify and capture the suspects who carried out the attack. The investigation is being carried out in a multifaceted and meticulous manner,” Tunc added.

This is a developing story and will be updated.