TURKEY | APR. 22, 2024 — Pastor’s Name on ISIS Hit List
TURKEY — Pastor’s Name on ISIS Hit List
Masked gunmen connected to ISIS entered a Turkish church and killed a man inside.
On Sunday, January 28, two masked gunmen entered a Catholic church in Istanbul during a service and randomly shot and killed a 52-year-old man.
The self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility. Turkish police quickly arrested two suspects with ties to ISIS and later arrested 25 more after raiding numerous locations. Afterwards, police contacted a pastor of a rapidly growing church in another part of Turkiye and told him that his name was on an ISIS hit list. “This pastor has been threatened by ultra-nationalist Turks many times, but this was the first time that he sounded worried,” said a front-line worker. Turkish police offered to protect the pastor and encouraged him to set up security cameras. “We can’t pray for the elimination of persecution,” said the front-worker, “but we can pray that believers will be strengthened and recognize these things are happening because of the growth of the church.”