ANKARA: Four people were killed and 14 others wounded in an attack at the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ headquarters on Wednesday, the government said, and witnesses said they heard gunfire and a loud explosion at the site near Ankara.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two attackers were killed in what he called a terrorist attack, adding three of the injured are in critical condition. TV broadcasters earlier showed footage of armed assailants entering the TUSAS building. President Tayyip Erdogan, alongside Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a BRICS conference in the Russian city of Kazan, also called it a terrorist attack.
The cause and perpetrators of the blast and subsequent gunfire remained unclear. No group had claimed responsibility. Prosecutors have launched an investigation, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Some media reports claimed a suicide attack had occurred and that there were hostages inside the building, though officials have not confirmed this.
Witnesses told Reuters that employees inside the building were taken by authorities to shelters and no one was permitted to leave for a few hours.
They said the blasts they heard may have taken place at different exits as employees were leaving work for the day.
Broadcasters showed images of a damaged gate and footage of an exchange of gunfire in a parking lot, as well as attackers carrying assault rifles and backpacks as they entered the building. Ambulances and helicopters later arrived.
TUSAS is Turkey’s largest aerospace manufacturer, currently producing a training craft, combat and civilian helicopters, as well as developing the country’s first indigenous fighter jet, KAAN. Owned by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation and government, it employs more than 10,000 people.
NATO head Mark Rutte said on Wednesday the military alliance would stand with its ally Turkey amid a deadly attack against the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries, one of Turkey’s most important defence and aviation companies.
“Deeply concerning reports of dead and wounded in Ankara. #NATO stands with our Ally #Turkey. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and are monitoring developments closely,” Rutte said in a post on X.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the BRICS summit in Kazan on Wednesday, offering his condolences over a deadly attack on a defence firm near Ankara.
“We are very pleased to welcome you to Kazan, but before we begin our work I would like to express my condolences in connection with the terror attack,” Putin said at the start of talks with the Turkish leader. –Agencies
