Shooting at Swedish consulate in Turkey’s Izmir injures one

A Turkish employee was seriously wounded in an armed attack at Sweden’s honorary consulate in the western province of Izmir, officials have said.

The local governor’s office said the attack was carried out by a “mentally disabled” person in the Konak district of Izmir at 09:45 GMT on Tuesday.The attack took place outside Sweden’s honourary consulate, the state broadcaster TRT reported. The wounded woman, who was working as a secretary at the diplomatic mission, was in critical condition, it added.

Turkish broadcaster Haber Turk reported that the incident is believed to be linked to a dispute about the visa application process. There was no immediate indication of any political motive behind the incident.

Turkish authorities detained the assailant with the gun and launched an investigation, the governor’s office said.

Honorary consulates represent their nationals’ interests abroad but are not run by professional diplomats.

The Swedish consul general will travel to Izmir on Wednesday to get more information about the incident, the Swedish foreign ministry said.

The ministry said it was in close dialogue with the Consulate General in Istanbul and its staff in Turkey.

The Consulate General is in contact with the Honorary Consulate in Izmir and with local authorities, the foreign ministry added.

The ministry said it would not comment further “on the threat to the diplomatic service or what security measures are being taken, as this risks counteracting the purpose of the measures.”Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc condemned the attack in a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He said a criminal investigation had been initiated to shed light on the incident.