An 'Arab-Israeli' Man Shot Dead in Istanbul

Turkish media reports the shooting death of an Arab-Israeli man and the wounding of two others during a shooting at a vehicle, stating that Istanbul police have launched a broad investigation into the incident. The deceased has been identified as a businessman named Abdul Qadir Ans, whose father denied any political motive for the attack, telling the Demirören news agency, 'We have nothing to do with politics; we are Arab-Israelis of Palestinian origin.' Initially, local media identified all three occupants of the vehicle as Palestinians. The victims were shot on Sunday, August 19, on Delavar Street in the Kâğıthane area of northern Istanbul. In this attack, a man accompanying Abdul Qadir Ans was severely injured and is reported to be in critical condition. Another man, identified by police as the victim's bodyguard, was injured in the leg. CCTV footage shows a man walking towards the vehicle and opening fire. One of the victims exits the car and heads towards a restaurant across the street, with the assailant following him. Moments later, the assailant exits and flees. Photos from the shooting scene show a silenced handgun abandoned on the sidewalk next to a white vehicle parked between two cars. It also appears that several bullets struck the rear door of the vehicle, which is close to the sidewalk. The nature of this attack, which seems professional, has led to widespread speculation in Turkish media about possible Israeli involvement. However, Istanbul police later announced that the motive for the attack was a 'financial dispute,' and three suspects believed to be directly involved fled the country two and a half hours after the shooting by crossing the Bulgarian border. Police also arrested four individuals and managed to recover two weapons. The Istanbul police stated in a social media announcement that at least seven people were involved in planning and executing this attack, and the assailants used three different vehicles during their escape from Turkey to avoid identification. The police statement also mentioned that 'interviews with their families revealed that this incident was due to debt.' Turkey has long sheltered officials from the extremist group Hamas, which is engaged in conflict with Israel in Gaza, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been a vocal critic of Israel's attacks on Gaza, having engaged in verbal confrontations with Israeli officials over the past ten months.