A gunfight broke out near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul’s Besiktas district, in which three armed suspects were neutralised and two police officers were wounded, Türkiye’s interior minister said on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said the suspects opened fire on police outside the Yapı Kredi Plaza complex, triggering a shootout in which all three attackers were “neutralised.” The wounded officers sustained minor injuries.

Justice Minister Akın Gurlek said prosecutors immediately launched an investigation into earlier reports of gunfire in the area, dispatching a deputy chief prosecutor and two prosecutors to the scene.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said the Israeli consulate, located inside the plaza, has been closed for the past two and a half years.

Suspects identified, links probed

It has been determined that Yunus E.S., who was captured dead, had links to a terrorist organisation exploiting religion, while the two other suspects captured wounded, Onur C. and Enes C., are brothers, and Onur C. has a prior drug record, Türkiye’s interior ministry said.

“Intensive digital communication was identified among the three neutralised suspects, and the interrogation of the wounded suspects is ongoing,” the ministry said.

Officials said the investigation is being conducted in close coordination with law enforcement, with efforts focused on uncovering the full scope and possible motives behind the attack.