Shooting attack at Swedish consulate in Izmir seriously injures Turkish staff member: Reports

A Turkish employee was seriously wounded on Tuesday (August 1) in an armed attack at Sweden’s honorary consulate in the western province of Izmir, Turkey, as per local officials and media reports. The attack comes amid a rise in tensions between the two countries and a day after the most recent Quran-burning incident in Sweden’s capital Stockholm.

About the attack

According to the local governor’s office, the attack was carried out by a “mentally disabled” person in the Konak district at 0945 GMT, reported AFP news agency. However, the alleged attacker did not make it to the consulate.

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In a statement, the governor’s office in Izmir said the Turkish citizen was from the eastern province of Agri and has been apprehended. An investigation into the incident is underway, it said.

A report by the state broadcaster TRT said that the wounded woman, identified as the secretary at the diplomatic mission, was in critical condition. The attack took place outside Sweden’s honorary consulate, according to local media reports.

ALSO READ |Fresh incident of Quran burning outside Swedish Parliament: Report

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc condemned the attack in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Notably, honorary consulates represent their nationals’ interests abroad but are not run by professional diplomats.

Swedish government responds

In response to the attack, Sweden'sforeign ministry said that theSwedish consul-general will travel to Izmir on Wednesday to get more information about the incident, reported Reuters.

The consulate general is in contact with the Honorary Consulate in Izmir and with local authorities, it added.

Quran burning incident outside Swedish Parliament

A copy of the Quran was set alight by two men outside the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm on Monday (July 31). The incident reportedly took place at a protest similar to previous ones that stoked tensions between Sweden and the Islamic world.

The duo, identified as Salwan Momika and Sakwan Najem, allegedly kicked and stomped on the holy book, then proceeded to set its pages on fire before slamming it shut, just like in a protest outside Stockholm’s main mosque in late June.

ALSO READ |Sweden govt condemns ‘Islamophobic’ Quran burning protest amid calls to prevent desecration of holy book

The same duo was also reportedly involved in a protest outside Iraq’s embassy in Stockholm on July 20.

Sweden’s relations with Islamic countries have come under strain due to previous Quran-burning protests.

However, the police have argued that the permits are granted to people only to hold public gatherings and not for the activities conducted during the events.

Earlier this month, the Swedish government condemned the burning of the Quran outside Stockholm’s main mosque, calling it an “Islamophobic” act.

The statement was released days after Momika, an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, was granted a permit to protest outside a Stockholm mosque where he reportedly stomped on the Quran and burned several pages of the holy book.

(With inputs from agencies)

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