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FACTBOX: Gunfight near Israeli consulate in Istanbul recalls Turkey's past militant attacks

An attacker was shot dead in a gun battle outside Istanbul’s Israeli consulate, underscoring persistent militant threats in Turkey.

Canan Sevgili/Reuters

April 07, 2026

FACTBOX: Gunfight near Israeli consulate in Istanbul recalls Turkey's past militant attacks

A man uses a weapon, as gunfire was heard near the building housing the Israeli consulate, according to authorities and Reuters witnesses, in Istanbul, Turkey, April 7, 2026, in this screen grab taken from a video obtained by Reuters

Reuters

An attacker was killed in a gun battle with police outside the building housing the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, according to authorities and Reuters witnesses.


Below is a list of major militant attacks in Turkey in recent years:


December 29, 2025 - Three Turkish police officers and six Islamic State militants were killed in a gunfight in northwest Turkey in Yalova.


September 8, 2025 - A 16-year-old was arrested over the killing of two officers in a gun attack on a police station in the western Turkish city of Izmir.


October 24, 2024 - Two gunmen killed five people in an attack on Turkey's largest aerospace firm TUSAS in Ankara, which authorities blamed on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group.


January 28, 2024 - Two masked gunmen killed one person during a church service in Istanbul. Suspects were captured and linked to Islamic State.


October 1, 2023 - Two attackers detonated a bomb outside Turkish government buildings in Ankara, killing themselves and wounding two police officers. The PKK claimed responsibility.


November 13, 2022 - A blast on a busy Istanbul avenue killed six and wounded 81. Ankara blamed the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which it considers a PKK affiliate; both groups denied involvement.


January 5, 2017 - A car bomb in Izmir killed a police officer and a courthouse employee. Authorities said PKK members were responsible.


December 31, 2016 - Islamic State claimed responsibility for a New Year's Eve mass shooting at an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people.


December 17, 2016 - A car bomb killed 13 soldiers in Kayseri. An offshoot of the PKK claimed responsibility.


December 10, 2016 - Twin bombings outside an Istanbul soccer stadium killed 44, mostly police officers. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a PKK offshoot, claimed responsibility.


August 26, 2016 - A suicide truck bombing at a police headquarters in southeastern Turkey killed at least 11. The PKK claimed responsibility.


August 20, 2016 - A suicide bomber attacked a wedding party in Gaziantep, killing at least 51. President Tayyip Erdogan said the attacker had links to Islamic State.


June 28, 2016 - A triple suicide bombing and gun attack at Istanbul's main airport killed 45 and wounded over 160. Attackers, believed to be linked to Islamic State were handed life sentences.


March 19, 2016 - A suicide bomber killed four in Istanbul, including three Israelis (two with dual U.S. citizenship) and an Iranian citizen. A Turkish Islamic State member was responsible.


March 13, 2016 - A bomb-laden car exploded at a crowded transport hub in Ankara, killing 37. TAK claimed responsibility.


February 17, 2016 - A car bomb exploded near military buses near the armed forces' headquarters, parliament and other government buildings in Ankara, killing 28 and wounding dozens. TAK claimed responsibility.


January 12, 2016 - A suicide bomber killed at least 10 people, mostly German tourists, in Istanbul's historic centre. Authorities blamed the attack on the Islamic State.


October 10, 2015 - Twin bombings outside Ankara's main train station killed over 100 people. Turkish courts sentenced the perpetrators, linked to Islamic State, to life in prison.


September 8, 2015 - PKK militants killed 15 police officers in the eastern provinces of Mardin and Igdir.


July 20, 2015 - An Islamic State suicide bomber killed over 30, mostly young students, in Suruc, a predominantly Kurdish town near the Syrian border.


-Reporting by Canan Sevgili; Editing by Daren Butler and Ros Russell/Reuters

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