ISTANBUL: A Turkish woman employee was seriously wounded in an armed attack on Tuesday at Sweden’s honorary consulate in the western province of Izmir, officials and media reports said.
Tensions have flared between Sweden and Muslim countries following several protests involving public desecrations of the Qur'an — including setting pages alight.
Two men set a copy of the holy book alight outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm on Monday in an act similar to others in recent weeks that have drawn condemnation.
The local governor’s office said the attack was carried out by a “mentally disabled” person with a gun in the Konak district of Izmir at 0945 GMT.
The attack took place outside Sweden’s honorary consulate, the private NTV broadcaster reported. The wounded woman, who was working as a secretary at the diplomatic mission, was in critical condition, it added.
Turkish authorities detained the assailant with the gun and launched an investigation into the incident, the governor’s office said.
The Swedish foreign ministry’s press service in Stockholm confirmed the attack and said in an email to AFP that it was “in close contact” with the general consulate in Istanbul which was in turn in contact with the honorary consulate in Izmir.
“Sweden’s general consul will travel to Izmir tomorrow to be informed of the situation and express her condolences.”
The ministry said it would “not comment on threat scenarios against the foreign mission or which security measures are being taken, as that could counter the purpose of the measures.”
Honorary consulates represent their nationals’ interests abroad but are not run by professional diplomats.
Turkish woman wounded in attack at Sweden’s consulate: official
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Turkish woman wounded in attack at Sweden’s consulate: official
- The wounded woman, who was working as a secretary at the diplomatic mission, was in critical condition
- Turkish authorities detained the assailant with the gun and launched an investigation into the incident
EU warns Israel suspending Gaza NGOs would block ‘life-saving aid’
BRUSSELS: The EU warned Wednesday that Israel's threat to suspend several aid groups in Gaza from January would block "life-saving" assistance from reaching the population.
"The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form," EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib posted on X, after Israel said several groups would be barred for failing to provide details of their Palestinian employees.
"IHL (international humanitarian law) leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those in need," Lahbib wrote.
NGOs had until December 31 to register under the new framework, which Israel says aims to prevent "hostile actors or supporters of terrorism" operating in the Palestinian territories, rather than impede aid.
Israeli authorities announced Tuesday that organisations which "refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism" had received notice that their licences would be revoked as of January 1, with an obligation to cease all activities by March 1.
Israel has not disclosed the number of groups facing a ban, but it has specifically called out Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for failing to meet the rules. It accused the medical charity of employing two individuals with links to Palestinian armed groups.
The Israeli government told AFP earlier this month that 14 NGO requests had been rejected as of November 25.
Several NGOs said the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza, with humanitarian organisations saying the amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.
While an accord for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.
COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said last week that on average 4,200 aid trucks enter Gaza weekly, which corresponds to around 600 daily.
