Turkey: Armed men enter Istanbul Catholic church during mass, murder man

The report below portrays this as a targeted killing of the victim. Still, the attackers apparently entered the church with impunity; as Murat Kurum says, “This attack targets our centuries-old law of brotherhood and our will to live together.” That’s a wild exaggeration, given Turkey’s ongoing hostility to religious minorities, but this could indicate a significant increase of that hostility.

“Balaclava attack on Sunday mass in Sarıyer: 1 dead,” translated from “Sarıyer’de pazar ayinine kar maskeli saldırı: 1 ölü,” Gazete Duvar, January 28, 2024:

WALL – An armed attack was carried out by 2 people wearing ski masks during the Sunday service held at the Santa Maria Church in the Büyükdere District of Istanbul’s Sarıyer district. Cihan Tuncer lost his life in the attack.

Eyewitnesses said that those in the church threw themselves to the ground in panic during the attack. The attackers fled the scene on foot. Following the attack, many police officers were dispatched to the scene and extensive security measures were taken on the street where the church is located and its surroundings.

Two people walking with masks just before the attack were captured on the security camera of a building next to the church. According to DHA, the police are investigating whether the suspects in the images are related to the attack.

ONE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL AND TWO PROSECUTORS WERE ASSIGNED
Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç announced that a Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor and two Public Prosecutors were assigned to shed light on the incident.

YERLİKAYA: WE CONDEMN
Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya made a statement regarding the attack. Explaining that the attack was generally aimed at one person, not the people in the church, Yerlikaya said, “Today, at around 11.40, during the service at the Santa Maria Church in Sarıyer Büyükdere District, C.T., who was among the participants of the service, was attacked with a gun by 2 masked people and unfortunately lost his life. Extensive investigation into the subject and the attackers “Efforts have been initiated to catch him. We strongly condemn this vile attack,” he said.

İMAMOĞLU: WE WILL NOT ALLOW
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu also shared a message regarding the attack. İmamoğlu said, “I condemn the armed attack on the Sunday mass held at the Santa Maria Church in Sarıyer. I wish God’s mercy on C.T. who lost his life and recovery to the injured. We will never allow those who try to destroy our unity and peace by attacking the religious places of our city.”

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül also made a statement about the attack. Gül said, “We also met with the head priest of our church and expressed our wishes to him to get well soon. The incident is still new, it took about two hours, everyone is doing their duty. Hopefully, the perpetrators will be found and brought to justice. Two masked people enter the room and shoot at a person.” “A person also loses his life. Our police and prosecutor’s office continue their investigations on this issue,” he said.

DEVA Party leader Ali Babacan, in his post on his social media account, said, “I condemn the armed attack on the Santa Maria Latin Catholic Church during the Sunday mass in Istanbul. I wish God’s mercy on our citizen who lost his life in the attack and a speedy recovery to the injured. The attackers are identified as soon as possible.” “I hope he is caught and caught,” he said.

People’s Alliance’s candidate for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Murat Kurum, said, “I strongly condemn the attack that took place during the service at the Santa Maria Italian Church in our Sarıyer Büyükdere Neighborhood. I called Priest Anton Bulai and expressed my condolences. This attack targets our centuries-old law of brotherhood and our will to live together.” “Vile attacks will never reach their target,” he said.

THE ONLY CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE BOSPHORUS
The place of worship, known as the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady or Santa Maria Italian Latin Catholic Church, is the only Latin Catholic Church located on the Bosphorus. The church, which was opened for worship in 1866, was designed by Architect Gaspare Fossati.