On Monday, September 8, 2025, the usually bustling streets of Balcova, a district just west of Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, were thrown into chaos after a shocking attack on the Salih Isgoren police station. Two police officers lost their lives and at least three others, including a civilian, were wounded in an incident that has left the nation reeling and authorities scrambling for answers.
According to the AFP, the suspect, identified as 16-year-old E.B., was apprehended at the scene after being wounded. He reportedly lived on the same street as the police station, and local officials were quick to point out that he had no prior criminal record or previous arrests for any crime. Izmir Governor Süleyman Elban told NTV and other media, “The murder suspect is a 16-year-old who lives on this street. He has no criminal record or previous arrests for any crime.”
Eyewitness accounts and video footage, shared before authorities imposed a ban on dissemination of images related to the attack, painted a chilling picture. The Gerçek Gündem news website posted mobile phone video showing a person in a balaclava, black top, and pale trousers jogging along the pavement with a rifle before entering the police station. Shortly after, another widely circulated clip showed the alleged attacker lying on the pavement, the back of his trousers soaked in blood, being attended to by paramedics. Multiple bullet casings littered the ground.
Officials said the assailant used a pump-action shotgun, a weapon described by NTV as being purchased by his father a decade earlier. Governor Elban added, “We saw plenty of empty shotgun shells ... and there were many cartridges” of unused ammunition, highlighting the potential for even greater tragedy had the circumstances been different.
The attack unfolded rapidly. The assailant first shot and killed a police officer who was standing guard in front of the station. In the ensuing chaos, a police chief inspector was also killed in a clash with the attacker. Two more officers and a civilian were injured before the suspect was subdued and taken into custody. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya condemned the “heinous” attack, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, addressing the nation from Istanbul during the opening of the 2025-2026 school year, offered his condolences and wished a swift recovery to the wounded. Erdoğan vowed that the suspect and anyone connected to the crime would be held accountable.
Extensive security measures were quickly implemented in the Balcova district. Police fanned out across the area, cordoning off streets and increasing patrols to prevent any further incidents. The sense of urgency was palpable, as news spread and the government sought to reassure a shaken public.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that Izmir’s chief public prosecutor had opened an investigation, assembling an eight-member team of prosecutors to probe the attack. “An investigation has been opened,” Interior Minister Yerlikaya confirmed on X, formerly Twitter. The investigation’s scope includes not only the suspect’s actions but also any possible connections or motives behind the attack, which remain, for now, unclear.
“It was not immediately clear why the station was attacked,” reported AFP and China Daily, reflecting the uncertainty that continues to grip officials and the public alike. The lack of a criminal record for the suspect and the apparent absence of any prior warning signs have only deepened the mystery.
This incident is not an isolated one in Turkey’s recent history. The country has witnessed several attacks targeting police and government facilities in the past few years. As Daily Sabah and other sources recounted, in February 2024, two members of the far-left DHKP-C opened fire at a police checkpoint outside Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse, wounding six people. Security forces killed both assailants at the scene. In April 2023, an unidentified gunman fired a machine gun at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s district office in Adana, southern Turkey. The assailant was quickly detained, and no injuries were reported. In September 2022, two PKK-linked women attacked a police guesthouse in Mersin with rifles before detonating explosives, killing themselves and leaving one officer dead and another wounded. Just a month earlier, a suspected Daesh sympathizer stabbed two officers outside a government office in Istanbul’s Silivri district; both survived after the assailant was shot and detained.
These attacks have fueled ongoing debates in Turkey about security, gun ownership, and the challenges of preventing lone-wolf violence. The fact that the weapon used in the Balcova police station attack was a shotgun purchased legally by the suspect’s father a decade ago has reignited concerns about firearm access in Turkish households. Governor Elban emphasized that the shotgun was “a shotgun his father bought 10 years ago,” suggesting that the suspect may have had easy access to the weapon at home.
In the aftermath of the attack, many government ministers and public officials took to X to denounce the violence and express solidarity with the families of the victims. Justice Minister Tunç’s promise of a thorough investigation was echoed by others, with calls for unity and vigilance in the face of such tragedies. The mood across Izmir, and indeed much of Turkey, has been one of mourning but also of determination to prevent similar incidents in the future.
As investigators continue their work, questions linger about the motive. Was this a planned act of violence, a random outburst, or the result of some deeper grievance or mental health issue? Authorities have been tight-lipped, perhaps wary of speculation while the investigation is ongoing. What is clear, however, is the profound impact the attack has had on the community and the nation at large.
For the residents of Balcova, the events of September 8 will not be soon forgotten. The sight of police cordons, the echo of gunfire, and the images of wounded officers and civilians have left an indelible mark. Yet, amid the grief, there is also a sense of resilience—a determination to support one another and to demand answers and accountability.
As Turkey grapples with the aftermath of yet another attack on its police forces, officials face the daunting task of ensuring security while addressing the root causes that can drive even the youngest citizens to such acts of violence. Only time will tell what lessons are learned and what measures are put in place to prevent future tragedies of this kind.
