Two people were shot dead after they attacked Turkey’s well-known courthouse, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The assailants attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the Caglayan courthouse in Istanbul and injured six people, including three police officers. Yerlikaya later revealed that the attackers were allegedly affiliated with the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP/C), a far-left group recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. The courthouse, also known as the Istanbul Justice Palace, is a heavily guarded court complex in the Kagithane district. The incident occurred as the elder sister of the female attacker appeared as a defendant at the courthouse half an hour after the attack, facing charges of terrorism-related offenses. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has initiated an investigation into the attack, and the justice minister disclosed that the attackers had previously served jail terms for terror-related offenses. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to combatting terrorism in a commemoration ceremony, following the attack. The group responsible for the recent attack has a history of violence, including a 2015 hostage situation at the same courthouse and a suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in 2013.
