(CP) The Islamic State claimed a Sunday terrorist attack against a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul, Turkey, that killed a mentally disabled Muslim man.
The terrorist organization admitted through its media arm to attacking “a gathering of Christian unbelievers during their polytheistic ceremony” on the Santa Maria Church in Istanbul’s Buyukdere neighbourhood, in line with The Associated Press.
Footage obtained by Reuters shows the moment masked gunmen opened fire throughout the church’s Sunday Mass.
Police arrested two men early on Monday, one in every of whom is Russian and the opposite from Tajikistan, in line with Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The arrests followed police raids at greater than 30 locations, during which 51 suspects were detained, AP reported.
“Both of the suspects are foreign nationals,” Yerlikaya said. “One of them is from Tajikistan and the opposite is Russian, and we evaluated them to be with the Islamic State.”
Yerlikaya also said Sunday in a post on XÂ that he and the Turkish government “strongly condemn this vile attack.”
Tuncer Cihan, 52, who was shot and killed throughout the attack, was “a one who had done nothing unsuitable,” in line with the church’s lawyer, Avsin Hatipoglu, who spoke to the AP. He said the church is reportedly requesting increased security within the vicinity.
The lawyer added that Cihan was not even a Christian but Alevi, a sect of Shia Islam. Cihan’s nephew identified him and noted that he was mentally disabled, in line with The New York Post. Yerlikaya also confirmed the identity of the victim.
Sukru Genc, the mayor of Sariyer District, told a neighborhood news outlet that Cihan was standing near the doorway to the church when the attack took place, in line with CNN.
“According to the priest, he was consistently going to church, and the priest knew this person and referred to him as ‘a great person,'” Genc said.
“Such provocations won’t ever be allowed in our country,” Akif Cagatay Kilic, one in every of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s top political advisers, wrote in a statement posted to XÂ on Sunday. “The perpetrators will likely be caught as soon as possible and held accountable before justice.”
Bishop Massimiliano Palinuro, who serves because the apostolic vicar of Istanbul, told EWTN News that Cihan was murdered “throughout the consecration while all of the congregation was praying.”
“We are nervous in regards to the future because if it is a sign of the religious intolerance, for our community, it could possibly be a nasty sign. Let us pray,” Palinuro said.
In response to news of the arrests, Palinuro said, “We trust within the justice of God.”
The Turkish bishops’ conference condemned the attack in a Sunday statement, urging people to wish and to avoid “[spreading] the culture of hatred and spiritual discrimination,” in line with Catholic News Agency.
“We firmly condemn this act of violence against humanity,” the statement said, which was signed by Archbishop Martin Kmetec of Izmir.
“We trust that the Turkish state security forces will find those responsible and that justice will likely be done,” he said. “We firmly demand that the reality be revealed and that greater security be guaranteed to our communities and churches.”
Pope Francis wrote on X: “I express my closeness to the community of the Church of St. Mary Draperis in Istanbul, which suffered an armed attack during Mass that killed one person and injured several others.”
Approximately 25,000 Roman Catholics live in Turkey as of 2022, in line with the U.S. State Department.
Yerlikaya claimed Turkey has detained 2,086 individuals with suspected ties to the Islamic State and arrested 529 since last June, in line with Reuters.
Twenty-five people suspected of getting ties to the Islamic State were arrested in Turkey on Jan. 3 amid allegations that they were planning to attack churches and synagogues, in line with the Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency.
