Police reveal details of Istanbul church attack

Militants from the so-called Tajik "Wilayat Khorasan" cell of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group carried out a shooting attack in a Catholic church in Istanbul on January 28.

According to Yeni Şafak newspaper, citing Istanbul police, those arrested in the attack are Tajik citizens, except for three Turkish nationals.

Earlier, it was reported that a Russian and a Tajik national who opened fire at St Mary's Catholic Church in Istanbul were arrested a few hours after the incident.

Investigators say IS used so-called sleeper cells to carry out the violence. The attackers received orders to carry out the armed assault via social networks controlled by the terrorist group. Police seized digital media confirming IS involvement in the temple shooting, and a car without number plates was found in a forest in the Göktürk district near Istanbul's international airport. One of the pistols used in the shooting was also found dismantled, having been converted from a gas pistol to a combat pistol.

According to the security services, those involved in the attack had rented a house in the Güvercintepe district of Istanbul three months ago. Tajik nationals who were detained after the attack also live there illegally. Some of the 28 suspects detained by the Istanbul Security Directorate were planning New Year's Day attacks on Istanbul's Orthodox churches, a synagogue and the Iraqi embassy. Local police foiled the attacks on December 29 by arresting 32 people.