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 0945 GMT on Tuesday.

The attack took place outside Sweden’s honorary 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 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 into the incident, the governor’s office said.

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

The Swedish foreign ministry said in a statement that it does not comment on threats to foreign representatives nor on what security measures are being taken.