Gunfire heard near Turkish tourist site

August 19, 2015

Two armed people near the scene have been detained by police and there are no reports of casualties, according to the country’s Dogan news agency.

The Dogan news agency says no one was hurt in the attack and the two assailants were quickly caught.

Several Twitter users at cafes in the area have also reported the sound of gunfire and explosions.

The incident came during growing tensions in Turkey as the government wages an unprecedented “anti-terror” offensive against jihadists and Kurdish militants. The prime minister’s Istanbul offices are located nearby. A fighter proclaiming allegiance to Islamic State appeared in a video this week urging Turks to rebel against “infidel” President Tayyip Erdogan and help conquer Istanbul, highlighting the threat to the NATO member state.