At least five people were killed and 22 others were injured in an attack on the headquarters of a top Turkish defense company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday.
Two attackers, a woman and a man, who have now been “neutralized”, were reportedly seen on camera carrying out the deadly attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), located about 40 kilometers north of Ankara.
Various videos of the attack showed them carrying bags and opening fire with assault rifles.
A video also shows a huge explosion taking place at the headquarters of a government company.
BREAKING: Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) targeted in a deadly terror attack in Ankara.
Reports confirm six people killed and more than 20 injured. Authorities suspect PKK involvement.
A suicide bomber detonated a bomb at a facility that makes Türkiye’s KAAN fighter jets.… pic.twitter.com/dcb1KzOJKu
– Türkiye (@ElephansMusk) 23 October 2024
An unconfirmed report from the private channel NTV said that “a group of terrorists” had stormed the building, one of whom “bombed himself”. Some news outlets reported the shootout lasting more than an hour.
Media reports also said that the attackers killed the cab driver before taking his vehicle to carry out the attack.
Turkish Vice President Sevdet Yilmaz said four of the victims were TAI employees while the fifth was a taxi driver.
There was no immediate claim for the attack but Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said it was “very likely” it was carried out by Kurdish militants.
“The manner in which this action was taken makes it potentially linked to the PKK,” he said, referring to the group that has been involved in a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin, called it a “heinous” attack on Türkiye’s defense industry.
“The terrorist attack against TAI, one of the locomotive organizations of the Turkish defense industry, is a despicable attack targeting the existence of our country, the peace of our nation and our defense initiatives that symbolize our “completely independent Turkey” ideal. ,” he said on X.
