Video surveillance shows civilians hiding from a hail of bullets at a courthouse in Caglayan. Photo: YASIN AKGUL/AFP
Members of a Marxist organization A terrorist group attacked Turkey's largest courthouse before being shot down by security in a hail of bullets that killed one civilian and wounded others, authorities said.
< p>The footage shows two attackers — a man and a woman — aiming their weapons and firing before they were shot down. Three police officers were injured in the shootout.
Video surveillance from the court lobby also showed civilians cowering for protection as the shooting occurred at a checkpoint on the station plaza.
Following the attack, police were deployed to areas of Istanbul armed with batons, air rifles and shields. at the Caglayan Courthouse in Istanbul.
It is unclear what the motive for the attack was, but Turkish news agency DHA reported that the attacker's sister appeared as an accused at the courthouse shortly after the incident on charges of membership in a terrorist organization and possession of hazardous materials.
Police armed with air rifles, batons and shields were sent to secure the area. Photo: BERK OZKAN/EPA-EFE. /Shutterstock
Ali Yerlikaya, Turkey's interior minister, said the two attackers were members of a group known as DHKP-C, or Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, a far-left group listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, Britain, the United States and the EU. .
Ilmaz Tunç, the justice minister, said the city prosecutor's office was investigating and that two of the attackers had previously served prison sentences for terrorism-related crimes.
The DHKP-C, largely inactive in recent years, has not commented on the attacks, and it is unclear why the organization decided to act now.
A group whose goal is to establish a Marxist-Leninist regime in Turkey through armed revolutionary struggle has been formed in 1993 after a split in its predecessor group, Dev Sol, or Revolutionary Left.
DHKP-C also has an «anti-imperialist» stance against the US and NATO military bloc, according to the House of Commons Library's annual report, last published in January.
A police forensic team waits with the bodies of the attackers after they were shot outside the building. Photo: Serkan Ozkurnazli/DIA Images
Since its founding, DHKP-C has carried out sporadic attacks with less frequency and success than its predecessor. However, high-profile targets have been killed, including Turkey's then justice minister in 1994 and a prominent businessman in 1996.
About a decade ago, Turkey saw a series of attacks on key locations — police stations. , an Ottoman-era palace, the US Embassy in Ankara — either DHKP-C claims or authorities claim they were carried out by a group.
Then, in 1999, two DHKP-C members were killed by Turkish forces security during an attempt to launch a missile attack on the US Consulate in Istanbul.
His predecessor, Dev Sol, also attacked a number of US and UK targets in Turkey in the early 1990s in response to the Gulf War. In 1991, one such attack killed Andrew Blake, a British citizen working for a company in Istanbul.
The House of Commons report also noted that the organization had an office in London “engaged in overt political activities.” . »
Authorities say it is unclear why the group decided to attack now. Photo: Getty/DIA Images
Thursday's shooting marked yet another tragedy on what had already been a particularly grim day for many in Turkey since the Feb. 6, 2023, earthquake that rocked the country and neighboring Syria killed tens of thousands of people.< /p>
Emre Özyurt, a witness to Tuesday's attack, said his «blood froze» as bystanders fled in fear.
DHKP-C did not comment on Thursday's attacks, although it maintains close ties with THKP-C. another Turkish left-wing organization that grew out of Dev Sol. split.
Mirak Ural, leader of THKP-C, has Syrian citizenship and was born in Hatay, one of the worst-hit areas in Turkey.
Caglayan Courthouse, also known as Istanbul Palace Justice, is a huge and heavily guarded court complex in the Kagitane region. When it opened in 2011, it was the largest courthouse in Europe.
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