1 wounded in armed attack during Istanbul mayor election campaign

ISTANBUL -- A woman was injured in an armed attack on Saturday during the mayoral election campaign of Turkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party in Istanbul, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

Yerlikaya said on social media platform X that shots were fired with long-barreled weapons and pistols in the Kucukcekmece district at around 4:30 pm local time (1330 GMT). The attack took place during the election campaign of the Kucukcekmece party's mayoral candidate, Aziz Yeniay, in the Kanarya neighborhood. One citizen was injured in the attack, and a large-scale investigation has been initiated into the incident, the minister added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack on his X account, saying, "We will never allow attempts to poison the electoral process by those who cannot tolerate the healthy course of the election process." The mayoral elections in Türkiye will take place on March 31.