Islamic State has claimed a deadly attack on a church in Istanbul, although there are doubts about the author of the attack International

Jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Catholic church in Istanbul, although there are doubts about the author and motivation of the attack, which is being investigated by Turkish authorities. During a Sunday service two men with their faces covered with balaclavas entered the temple and opened fire into the air and at a specific person, who died shortly afterwards in the hospital where he was transferred. The minister announced…

Jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Catholic church in Istanbul, although there are doubts about the author and motivation of the attack, which is being investigated by Turkish authorities. During a Sunday service two men with their faces covered with balaclavas entered the temple and opened fire into the air and at a specific person, who died shortly afterwards in the hospital where he was transferred. The minister has announced the arrest of two alleged attackers.

In a statement distributed on social networks, the Amaq agency linked to the jihadist group said that “two Islamic State fighters attacked a Christian church” in response to calls from Islamic State leaders for an attack. Jews and Christians anywhere. However, the way the statement is expressed – different from previous texts in which it claims other attacks – and the fact that it includes information that was published shortly after the attack, but later denied raises doubts about authorship and whether this is an attack directly linked to the jihadist organization, inspired by its ideas, or whether the group opportunistically tries to take advantage of the incident by taking credit for it . It cannot be denied that this is an attack by a criminal group.

The events took place this Sunday at 11:40 pm (two hours less in mainland Spain) when two men entered the Church of Santa María, located in the northern district of Sariye, very close to the Bosphorus Strait. At that time, Sunday Mass was being celebrated, which, in addition to other regular members of the parish, included the Consul General of Poland in Istanbul, Witold Lesniak, and his family.

In a recording from the security camera inside the church, which was broadcast by several Turkish media before being banned by a court from publishing, a white-haired man is seen entering the church in the middle of the ceremony, and right after Behind, two men covered in balaclavas approach. A shot is fired towards the roof of the temple, after which devotees hide behind benches and chairs for safety. Then, one of the attackers goes after the white-haired man, whom he shoots at close range. Next, they take aim in several directions, apparently without firing other shots, and, after checking for an exit, flee on foot.

The man, who was seriously injured and died in hospital, has been identified as Tuncer Cihan, 52 and of Turkish nationality. Two of his relatives have told local media that he was a “simple and nice” person, “without enemies”, “not involved in politics” and that he suffered from a “slight intellectual disability”. According to one of the attendees, he had begun attending Sunday mass with his uncle and the faithful would see him “from Sunday to Sunday”, when he would attend mass and then meet for coffee. Used to wait.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced late Sunday that “two suspected perpetrators” of the attack in Santa Maria had been arrested, though he did not provide further details on what path the investigation was taking. News came in the afternoon that a person had been arrested in connection with the attack. Turkey’s president, Islamist Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has phoned the priest in charge of the church and the Polish consul to express his condolences and condemn the attack, in addition to promising a quick resolution to the case.

In the past, there have been attacks against temples, religious, and members of the small Christian community in Turkey, such as the murder of Father Andrea Santoro in 2006 and the beheading of three men associated with a missionary community in 2007, cases that ended in Motivations were never fully explained.

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