A huge explosion took place at the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) near Ankara on Wednesday (Oct 23), followed by firing in a terrorist attack that killed at least four people and injured 14 others, Turkey’s interior minister said.
The interior minister condemned the attack, saying that two terrorists were neutralised. There were also reports of hostages being taken.
The minister called the incident a “terrorist attack”.
“Two terrorists were neutralised in the terrorist attack targeting the Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAŞ) Ankara Kahramankazan facilities. Unfortunately, we have 3 martyrs and 14 injured in the attack,” Turkey’s interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a post on X.
The Turkish media later reported that the toll had risen to four.
TUSAS is one of Turkey’s most important defence and aviation companies. It produces KAAN, the country’s first national combat aircraft, among other projects.
Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii AŞ. (TUSAŞ) Ankara Kahramankazan tesislerine yönelik terör saldırısı gerçekleştirilmiştir.
Saldırı sonrası maalesef şehit ve yaralılarımız bulunmaktadır.
Şehitlerimize Allah’tan rahmet; yaralılarımıza acil şifalar diliyorum.
Gelişmelerden kamuoyu…
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) October 23, 2024
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“A terrorist attack was carried out against the TUSAS facilities in Kahramankazan, Ankara. Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people,” Yerlikaya had said in a previous post.
YENİ BİLGİ-1
Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii AŞ. (TUSAŞ) Ankara Kahramankazan tesislerine yönelik terör saldırısında 2 terörist etkisiz hale getirilmiştir.
Saldırıda maalesef 3 şehidimiz, 14 yaralımız var.
Şehitlerimize Allah’tan rahmet; yaralılarımıza acil şifalar diliyorum.…
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) October 23, 2024
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Turkish news agencies reported that two out of three shooters were neutralised and SWAT teams have been deployed to free the hostages.
According to media reports, a loud explosion occurred at the site. The reports also highlighted footage of an exchange of gunfire there.
However, the cause of the reported gunfire and the explosion remained unclear yet. Meanwhile, some media reports are calling it a “suicide attack”.
Following the deadly incident, emergency services were dispatched to the site, state-owned Anadolu Agency reported.
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The television images showed a damaged gate and a nearby clash in a parking lot.
Several photographs and videos posted on social media showed pictures of attackers but WION could not verify their authenticity.
A report by Al-Monitor citing Turkey’s HaberTurk TV said that the workers took shelter on site.
The attack was carried out by multiple assailants who arrived at the compound in a taxi, Anil Sahin, a well-connected defence industry researcher, told HaberTurk.
Moreover, the footage from IHA showed a heavily damaged yellow cab reportedly involved in the initial explosion.
Turkey ‘will break the dirty hands reaching out’ towards it: Erdogan
Reacting to the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was attending the BRICS meeting in Kazan, Russia, said Turkey ‘will break the dirty hands reaching out’ towards it.
“Our nation should know that the dirty hands reaching out to Turkey will definitely be broken; no structure, no terrorist organisation, no evil focus targeting our security will be able to achieve their goals,” he said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler blamed the Kurdish militant group PKK for the attack.
The PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party, is a militant organisation founded in the late 1970s advocating for Kurdish autonomy and rights in Turkey. It has been involved in an armed conflict against the Turkish state since the 1980s. Ankara has launched extensive military operations against PKK on its bases in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq.
(With inputs from agencies)