The Turkish interior minister said the two attackers had been arrested. One of the suspects comes from Tajikistan, the other from Russia.
Two masked attackers opened fire on Sunday in an Italian Catholic church in Istanbul, killing one person.
Turkish authorities initially believed that the attack appeared to target a specific person, before the jihadist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the evening, the Turkish Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, indicated that the two attackers, who tried to flee, had been arrested. One of the suspects comes from Tajikistan, the other from Russia.
He also said police raided 30 sites and arrested a total of 47 people as part of the investigation into the attack.
Pope Francis addressed the attack in a speech in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square on Sunday: “I express my closeness to the community (of the church) of Istanbul, which, during mass, suffered an armed attack leaving one dead and some injured”declared the sovereign pontiff.
The church is run by an Italian order of Franciscan friars. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his ministry was monitoring the situation in collaboration with the Italian embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul.
In December, Turkey arrested 32 suspected members of the Islamic State, suspected of preparing attacks against synagogues, churches, and the Iraqi embassy.
