Murat Sancak, chief executive officer of the pro-government Star Media Group, was attacked on Thursday by unidentified gunmen while in his car in the Hadımköy neighborhood of İstanbul, Today’s Zaman writes.

As yet unidentified assailants opened fire on the car in which Sancak was a passenger on Thursday morning, news reports said, with several bullets hitting the car before the attackers fled. Sancak and his bodyguards were unharmed.

Sancak is a brother of Star media group owner and a pro-government businessman, Ethem Sancak.

A Crime Scene Investigation team was sent to the area after the incident. Police reportedly found 18 bullet holes in the armored car, including four in the windshield, and two bullets entered the car. Police officers collected the bullets and casings from the scene as part of the investigation.

The Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC condemned the attack on Sancak in a statement, pointing out that recent acts of terrorism in the country are targeting journalists and media groups and that the attacks aim to disrupt the peace in Turkey. The TGC also called on the authorities to find the perpetrators and emphasized that the organization is against this kind of attack.

In related news Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoğlu has rejected a call by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli called on the authorities to urgently convene the National Security Council (MGK) and declare martial law in parts of Turkey plagued with violence and where "terrorism is hitting a peak."