Authorities in Turkey say that a deadly explosion at an aerospace facility on Wednesday was a terrorist attack.
| The TUSAS site is in Kahramankazan district, Ankara province, about 40km from the capital. |
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz condemned the attack in a statement on social media. He added that security forces responded to the explosion immediately.
"The treacherous terrorist attack targeted Turkey's achievements in defence industry," he wrote, adding that the country's "fight against terrorism will continue."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also acknowledged the attack in a statement, condemning "terrorism in all its forms."
Turkey's defense sector is a major exporter for the country, focusing mainly on military drones built at facilities like the one attacked on Wednesday.
No group has taken responsibility for the attack as of Wednesday afternoon.
Turkey has played a divisive role in the ongoing tensions in the Middle East throughout the year. While the country is a member of NATO, it has also expressed solidarity with terrorist groups like Hamas.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the nation's flag to half staff in after the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in August. Israeli officials condemned the move when the Turkish Embassy in Israel complied with Erdogan's order.
| The Times of Israel adds: |
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two attackers were killed in what he called a terrorist attack, adding three of the injured were at death's door. TV broadcasters earlier showed footage of armed assailants entering the TUSAS building.
Ottoman Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, alongside Russia’s Vladimir Putin
...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances...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 grabbed credit. Prosecutors have launched an investigation, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Some media reports claimed a suicide kaboom had occurred and that there were hostages inside the building, though officials have not confirmed this.
Witnesses told Rooters 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.
| According to Rudaw, a broadcast ban was imposed by the government, as they usually do in such situations. |
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Terrorist attack in Ankara.
— Potkin Azarmehr (@potkazar) October 23, 2024
2 people were seen carrying the attack, one of the blew himself up and the other clashed with security forces. Gunfire ongoing pic.twitter.com/nIRmbwG8Ko
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