Turkish police arrested a suspected “terrorist” on Thursday after he threw two hand grenades at police guarding the office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul.
Istanbul police chief Selami Altinok confirmed the arrest, adding that the man opened fire with an automatic weapon after the grenades did not explode.
“A man, who we believe to be a member of a known terrorist organization, threw two hand grenades at the police cabin at the entrance of the Dolmabahce Palace and then opened fire. Our colleagues caught him as he tried to run away,'' said Altinok.
Altinok said that the assailant had served time in prison and had links to terrorist organizations, but did not elaborate about the arrested man or his motives.
It was not immediately clear whether the president and the prime minister were in the palace.
The Ottoman Dolmabahce Palace is in downtown Istanbul. It was once the residence of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
