Three gunmen opened fire on police outside the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, killing one attacker and wounding two officers in a 10-minute exchange that Turkish officials declared a terrorist attack linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).
The gunfight broke out at 12:15 local time outside the Yapı Kredi Plaza on Büyükdere Street in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district, where the Israeli Consulate is located on the seventh floor. Special operations forces were dispatched to the scene within minutes.
Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci confirmed on X that the three assailants had driven from Izmit, roughly 62 miles east of Istanbul, in a rental car.
İstanbul’da Yapı Kredi Plaza Blokları önünde görev yapan polislerimizle silahlı çatışmaya giren 3 kişi etkisiz hale getirilmiştir. Çatışmada iki kahraman polisimiz hafif yaralanmıştır.
Teröristlerin, kimlikleri tespit edilmiştir. İzmit’ten kiralık araçla İstanbul’a geldikleri…— Mustafa ÇİFTÇİ (@mustafaciftcitr) April 7, 2026
Two of them, brothers identified as Onur C. and Enes C., were wounded and taken into custody.
The third, named Yunus E.S., was killed. Ciftci wrote that Yunus E.S. had “connections with a terrorist organization that exploits religion,” phrasing Turkish authorities have used in previous cases to reference ISIS without naming the group directly.
One officer was wounded in the leg and another in the ear, the Interior Ministry confirmed. Istanbul Governor Davut Gul described the injuries as minor and called the incident a “provocative act.”
Eyewitness Omer Dilki, 34, told Associated Press the sounds were initially easy to dismiss. “In general, this is a noisy area, so initially we thought this might be something else. But the gunshots continued,” he said.
No Israeli diplomatic staff were present at the consulate. Israel withdrew its diplomats from Turkey in late 2023 over security concerns during the war in Gaza, and relations between the two countries have remained effectively frozen since.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he called a “treacherous attack.”
“We will resolutely continue our fight against all forms of terrorism, and we will not allow the climate of security in Turkey to be harmed by vile and timed provocations like today’s,” Erdogan said in a televised address.
Turkish President Erdogan:
I want it to be known that we strongly condemn the treacherous attack that took place today in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, and that was thwarted thanks to the heroic efforts of our security forces. pic.twitter.com/lzMRa6axJN
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 7, 2026
U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack called the assault “an attack on the international order.”
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced three prosecutors have been assigned to lead the investigation.
The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s attack on the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul. Attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order — and an assault on the principles that bind nations together. We commend Türkiye and Turkish security…
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) April 7, 2026
ISIS had not claimed responsibility for the attack as of publication time.
