2 Masked Assailants Attack a Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul and Kill 1 Person
RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – Two masked assailants attacked a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul during a Sunday Mass, killing one person, Turkish officials said.
US News reported the armed assailants attacked the Santa Maria Church in the Sariyer district at 11:40 a.m. (0840 GMT or 3:30 a.m. EST), Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sukru Genc, mayor of the Sariyer district where the attack took place, told the Birgun daily newspaper that the gunmen fled when their weapon jammed after having fired two rounds.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Lesniak and Santa Maria’s priest, Rev. Anton Bulai, to offer his condolences. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu offered his condolences and support for religious minorities in the city, which like Turkey as a whole is primarily Muslim.