A second suspect was arrested as the perpetrator of the attack against the Catholic church in Istanbul. Earlier, the anti-terrorist service of the Turkish police announced the arrest of one more person.

After the arrest of the two suspects, Interior Minister Ali Gerlikaya said they are foreign nationals, one from Tajikistan and one from Russia, who are believed to be members of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

According to the Turkish Interior Minister, after the attack on the church, 30 house raids were carried out by the police and 47 arrests were made.

ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Telegram, saying it was in response to a call by the group’s leaders to target Jews and Christians.

Two gunmen, with their faces covered by masks, entered the Catholic Church of Santa Maria in Bathyrryaka (Buyukdere) on the European side of the Bosphorus at around 11.40am during the Sunday service and opened fire.

A man who was among the churchgoers fell dead from the shots with a head wound.

The victim of the attack, 52-year-old Tunjer Cihan, according to information, had recently been visiting the church with his uncle, although he is not a Christian himself. His relatives spoke to the media, who stated that this man had no differences with anyone, was especially loved among the faithful, was retired and had a slight mental retardation.

Consul General of Poland Witold Lesniak and his children were also in the church at the time of the attack.