A 16-year-old high-school student attacked a police station in the Balçova district of Izmir on Monday, killing two police officers and wounding three others, provincial officials said.
Izmir Governor Süleyman Elban said the assailant entered the station wearing a mask and used a pump-action shotgun during the assault. Two other police officers and a civilian were wounded, and the teenager was arrested after being shot in the leg, Elban told reporters at the scene. The motive was under investigation.
A police officer who was standing guard in front of the station was the first to be shot and killed, Elban said. A police chief inspector was later killed in an ensuing clash with the assailant. Authorities said the suspect lived on the same street as the police station and used a shotgun that belonged to his father.
Local media published a video of the attack that showed the wounded teenager lying on the pavement and shouting “God is Great” while officers moved to subdue him. Bystanders can be heard shouting commands and expressions of alarm, and the footage appears to show the suspect reaching into a rucksack and throwing an object, prompting calls from onlookers who shouted “Bomb!” and urged police to shoot.
Some Turkish news outlets reported that the attacker carried out the assault days after being released from custody and suggested the act may have been in retaliation for mistreatment at the station. Governor Elban denied that the teenager had been detained previously or that he had a criminal record.
Police cordoned off the area following the shooting. Emergency medical teams treated the wounded at the scene and transported them to nearby hospitals, provincial officials said. The arrested suspect had been shot in the leg and was receiving treatment under police guard.
Izmir is Turkey’s third-largest city and the Balçova district is a residential and commercial area on the city’s western side. Attacks on police facilities are relatively rare in the city; national authorities provided no immediate comment beyond local officials’ statements.
The investigation remains ongoing, and provincial prosecutors have opened inquiries into the killings, the reported injuries and how the assailant obtained the weapon. Authorities have not released the names of the officers killed, citing the early stage of the investigation and the need to notify next of kin.
The incident drew an immediate security response in the district as investigators secured the station and collected evidence. Local officials declined to provide further details about a possible motive, saying that authorities were still interviewing witnesses and reviewing video and other material related to the attack.
Authorities did not indicate whether any charges had been formally filed against the suspect as of Monday evening. Turkish law allows for juvenile procedures in cases involving minors; prosecutors will determine how the case proceeds pending the outcome of the investigation and medical assessments.
Further updates are expected as investigators complete ballistic and forensic examinations and question witnesses from the scene.