A man and a woman were shot dead after they "attempt[ed] to attack" a security checkpoint at a court building in Istanbul's Caglayan district on Tuesday (Feb. 6).
According to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the two deceased suspects were believed to be affiliated with the far-left militant group Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C), which has been involved in a campaign against the Turkish state since the 1980s.
At least six people, including three police officers responding to the scene, were injured, Reuters reported.
"I congratulate our heroic police officers," Yerlikaya said. "I wish a speedy recovery to our injured."
CCTV footage obtained by Turkish state broadcaster Anadolu showed two bodies lying on the ground outside the main entrance to the courthouse after they shot back at police responding at the scene.
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DHKP-C Strikes Again
The DHKP-C, considered to be a terrorist organization in Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has been largely inactive in recent years.
The last time the group made headlines was when they took a prosecutor hostage at the same court in March 2015, demanding information about the killing of a teenager by police during protests against the government.
While the attacks have largely died down, both Istanbul and the Turkish capital, Ankara, remain on high alert for such acts from the DHKP-C, as well as jihadist fighters and Kurdish militants.
The attack took place as Turkey commemorated the anniversary of an earthquake that killed thousands of people.
