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Police respond to an attack by two gunmen on a church in Istanbul, Turkey, January 28, 2024.
CNN –
At least 47 suspects were arrested in connection with an attack on a church in Istanbul on Sunday, Turkish state news agency Anadalou reported, citing the country's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Yerlikaya said one person died in the attack, in which two masked gunmen opened fire during Sunday services at Santa Maria Church. The incident occurred in the Büyükdere district at around 11:40 a.m. local time (3:40 a.m. ET), Yerlikaya added in a post on X.
According to Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, no other people were injured in the attack.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for a shooting, according to a statement from the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency, citing a security source for the terror group.
Two of the arrested suspects are believed to have ties to IS, Anadalou also reported, citing the Turkish Interior Minister and describing that one was from Tajikistan and the other from Russia.
After the attack, Turkish security forces were mobilized with “all resources,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a video posted on social media. The Turkish leader was also seen on a plane talking on the phone to a priest from the target church.
According to Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, the country's deputy prosecutor general and two other prosecutors are investigating the incident.
“The investigation will be conducted in a diverse and careful manner,” Tunc said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Reporting is by CNN's Eyad Kourdi.