ISTANBUL, Turkey -- An armed Turkish man who attempted to force his way into the Ukrainian Consulate General in Istanbul was shot by police and later died in hospital on Tuesday.
Local television NTV reported that the man died after he was taken to the Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Education and Research hospital.
According to earlier reports from the semi-official Anatolia news agency, the man tried to enter the consulate building in Florya neighborhood located on the European side of the Turkish megacity.
The police shot and injured him when he insisted on entering the building with his weapon despite all warnings of the security guards, the report said.
Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin identified the gunman as 29-year-old Volkan Ozbudak.
He told reporters that "it was revealed that the suspect was married with a Ukrainian citizen. After having some problems with Ukrainian police, he was deported from that country."
"He attempted to enter the consulate building to resolve some problems. When security forces wanted to search his belongings, he began shooting randomly. Security forces had to stop him. It is clearly not an act of terror," the police added.
NTV also said the Turkish man told police that he had been imprisoned because of a lie told in Ukraine and that he had been tortured there.
Meanwhile, Muammer Guler, governor of Istanbul, said that the incident at the Ukrainian Consulate General did not have a political motive.
He told reporters that "a Turkish citizen whose wife is of Ukrainian descent, attempted to enter the consulate building with a package in his hand."
"When security forces asked about the content of the package, he told them there was a bomb in it. Then, he tried to enter the building by shooting randomly. Police had to shot him. He is injured, but not in a critical condition," he added.
"Since witnesses informed the security forces that there were cables coming out of the package, they are trying to blow it up. The incident does not have any political motive. A full investigation is under way," he said.
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