A woman armed with guns and hand grenades was shot dead as she tried to attack Istanbul's police headquarters on Wednesday just a day after a deadly hostage situation in the city.
A picture of the red-haired woman lying on the ground with a rifle strapped to her body and a handgun by her side has emerged and television footage showed police sealing off the street in the central Aksaray neighbourhood.
The attack comes a day after Turkish prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, 46, died in hospital after members of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) stormed a courthouse and took him hostage. It is not known who fired the fatal shots.Graphic images...
'The Istanbul police headquarters on Vatan street was targeted by rifle fire and a female terrorist was killed in the clash,' the Istanbul governor's office said in a statement today.
The woman was carrying a rifle, two hand grenades and one pistol, it said. Local media said a man had also been detained.
Separately, police detained a gunman on Wednesday who entered an Istanbul branch of the ruling AK Party and hung from its window a Turkish flag with the emblem of a sword added.
It was not immediately clear whether any of the attacks were linked, but Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned of the risk of 'provocations' and attempts to cause chaos ahead of June's national election.
Today, the grieving family of Mr Kiraz who died after being shot in the head and chest during yesterday's courthouse siege wept over his coffin at his funeral.
His coffin was covered with the Turkish flag for his funeral at Eyup Sultan Mosque in Istanbul.
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| Threat: The Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front published disturbing photographs of the terrified prosecutor with a gun to his head on their official Facebook page before he was shot |
Two of his captors were killed after security forces took back the building where the far-left group was holding him.
Gunshots were heard and smoke could be seen rising from the scene at the end of the six-hour stand-off.
Turkish authorities on Wednesday detained 22 suspected members of the group in the southern city of Antalya after receiving a tip-off they were planning further attacks, the Dogan news agency reported.
Meanwhile hundreds of lawyers, prosecutors and staff stood in respect on every floor of the giant Istanbul Caglayan Palace of Justice where Kiraz worked and the hostage drama unfolded.
'We will not forget you, our martyr,' read a gigantic banner, as a huge Turkish flag was hung from the top floor. The courthouse is to be renamed after Kiraz.
Justice Minister Kenan Ipek said the two members of the DHKP-C who took him hostage had 'held a gun to the nation'.
'We don't see this as an attack on our deceased prosecutor, but on the whole justice system,' he said at a ceremony for Mr Kiraz.
'Our state is powerful enough to track down those behind these lowlifes... The fact these assassins are dead shouldn't put those nefarious and dark forces at ease.'
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| Grief: The family of Mehmet Selim Kiraz grieve over his coffin during his funeral at Eyup Sultan Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. He died in hospital after he was taken hostage by the far-left organisation |
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| Mourning: The coffin of the prosecutor was passed through the crowds of mourners gathered to pay their respects. He had been leading an investigation into the death of teenager Berkin Elvan, who died aged 15 |
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| Respects: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L), the son of killed prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz (C) and Turkish National Assembly President Cemil Cicek (R) stand by Kiraz' coffin in Istanbul |
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| Gathering: Prosecutors, lawyers and judges stand near a statue of Lady Justice during the funeral ceremony |
Mr Kiraz, a father of two married to a judge who also worked at the courthouse, was targeted for his part in an investigation into the death of Berkin Elvan.
The 15-year-old was severely wounded after being hit on the head by a tear-gas canister fired by a police officer during anti-government protests in Istanbul in June 2013.
After spending 269 days in a coma, Elvan eventually died on March 11 last year. His death, and the subsequent investigation, have since become a rallying point for the country's far-left.
Police chief Selami Altınok said officers stormed the building on Tuesday after hearing gunshots, and killed two of the gunmen.
'We carried out the negotiation for six hours. But our security forces launched the operation after gunshots were heard while terrorists were speaking on the phone during the negotiation,' he said.
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| Emergency: An ambulance leaves the courthouse after police storm the building. Mr Kiraz was taken to hospital where he died from his injuries |
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Protesters: Turkish police use water cannons to disperse protesters who expressed support for an alleged militant member of the banned leftist group DHKP-C group who took Turkish Mehmet Selim Kiraz hostage
They had also plastered their flags and posters on the walls of his office.
Turkish media said that the group had given a deadline of 3:36 pm (13.36 BST) for the prosecutor to identify the police officers who they say were behind the killing of Elvan or he would be shot.
In a brief video message on a widely-followed Twitter account describing itself as that of Elvan's family, his father appeared to call on the group not to harm the prosecutor.
'We want justice. We don't want anyone to shed even a drop of blood. We don't want other mothers to cry,' Sami Elvan said.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with the current and former interior and justice ministers at the ruling AK Party headquarters in Ankara to discuss the hostage taking, officials in his office said.
   
Source:Daily Mail
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