Two assailants were shot dead and six people were wounded in an exchange of gunfire in front of the Istanbul justice palace, known also as the Caglayan courthouse, on Tuesday morning.
The two shooters were identified as members of the DHKP/C terrorist organization, according to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The DHKP/C is a revolutionary leftist party that espouses Marxist-Leninist ideology. It is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU due to its activism that preaches violence and assassinations in the country.
The assailants, a man and a woman, were trying to attack a security checkpoint at the courthouse, as per Yerlikaya’s post on social media. “I congratulate our heroic police officers. I wish a speedy recovery to our injured,” the minister said.
Responding to the attack, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that Turkey “will continue its decisive fight against all terrorist organizations and their supporters without making any distinction.”
The attack coincides with the anniversary of the earthquake that shook southern and central Turkey last year and killed over 50,000 people.