The father of Anas Abdel Qader, the Palestinian businessman who was killed in a gun attack in Istanbul, confirmed that the incident is not politically motivated. In his statements following the incident, the father said: "We came to Turkey for a visit. We all belong to God and to Him, we shall return. The police and emergency teams worked wonderfully. I thank Turkey for that." He added, "We are Arab Palestinians from Israel, and I hold an Israeli passport. We have been visiting Turkey regularly. There is nothing political involved here."
The tragic incident occurred on Sunday evening around 22:30 when Anas Abdel Qader was in a parked car with a friend and a bodyguard in the Kagithane area of Istanbul. Reports stated that the assailants, who were masked and armed, opened fire on the vehicle, resulting in Anas's immediate death and injuries to the others.
According to eyewitnesses, Anas attempted to escape the attackers by running towards a "kebap" shop across the street, but the assailants followed him inside and shot him there, leading to his death. The police, who arrived at the scene promptly, initiated a broad investigation into the crime. Numerous shell casings were found at the location, and a silenced weapon was discovered, raising doubts regarding the nature of the attack and whether it had political motives.
Despite these suspicions, Anas's father asserted that the family has no political connections and that they had always visited Turkey peacefully and safely. He also confirmed that his son had not received any previous threats.
On the other hand, investigations revealed that Anas Abdel Qader had arrived in Istanbul a month and a half ago with his family and settled in the Zeytinburnu area. Earlier, the pro-government newspaper Sabah reported that authorities had found no evidence linking the assassination attempt to Mossad. The newspaper stated that the Palestinian businessman had connections with an Arab criminal organization.
Sources cited by the newspaper indicated that there was a financial dispute between the involved parties, and two years prior, a gunfight had erupted among them in an apartment in the Kagithane area of Istanbul, with the belief that the recent incident is related to the previous one.
Reports confirmed that after reviewing surveillance footage and conducting investigations, it was determined that the crime was carried out by three individuals. The police, tracking the suspects' trails, received information indicating that the three individuals fled to Bulgaria. It is believed that the attackers escaped the country using Israeli passports after changing their vehicles four times during their flight.
