TURKEY – A shootout incident outside Yapi Kredi Plaza on Buyukdere Street in Istanbul’s Besiktas district on Tuesday left 3 terrorists dead and 2 police officers injured, according to the Turkish interior minister Mustafa Ciftci.

Ciftci said the suspects, who engaged in an armed clash with police officers on duty in the area, have been identified.

He added that they arrived in Istanbul from Izmit in a rental car, noting that “one had links to a group that exploits religion,” while another, one of two brothers among the attackers had a prior drug-related record.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gul described the incident as a “provocative act.”

Justice minister Akin Gurlek said an investigation has been launched into the incident.

Gurlek said on X that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office “immediately initiated an investigation,” assigning a deputy chief prosecutor and two prosecutors to the case.

He said prosecutors swiftly arrived at the scene and began on-site examinations, adding that the probe is being carried out “meticulously and in a multi-faceted manner” in coordination with law enforcement units.

Initial findings indicate that the attack targeted Turkish police officers deployed in the area.

Efforts are ongoing to fully clarify the circumstances of the incident, Gurlek added.

Turkish Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also said on X that security forces’ rapid and decisive intervention “prevented a potentially larger threat.”

Duran added that the attack would not weaken Ankara’s determination to achieve its “terror-free Turkey” and “terror-free region” goals, stressing that the state will continue its fight against threats and provocations with resolve.