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AP-National

The Islamic State group claims responsibility for the Istanbul church attack that killed one person

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Published 3:19 AM

By ROBERT BADENDIECK and MEHMET GUZEL
Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Roman Catholic church in Istanbul during Mass that killed one person. It said in a statement late Sunday that it “attacked a gathering of Christian unbelievers during their polytheistic ceremony” inside the Santa Maria Church. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two men he described as members of the Islamic State group were arrested. He said one of the suspects is from Tajikistan and the other from Russia. The Islamic State has not previously targeted places of worship in Turkey but has carried out a string of deadly attacks in the country, including a shooting at an Istanbul nightclub in 2017.

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