ANKARA: Five people were killed and 22 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.
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.
“Two terrorists were neutralised in the terror attack on the TUSAS Ankara Kahramankazan site. Sadly, we have 5 martyrs and 22 wounded in the attack,” Yerlikaya said, referring to the Aerospace Industries.
Turkish 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.
