Explosion near Turkish Aerospace Industries HQ kills and injures several

Ahram Online , Wednesday 23 Oct 2024

An explosion occurred outside the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), located just outside Ankara, on Wednesday, followed by the sound of gunfire, local media reported.

Explosion at TUSAS in Ankara
A photo shared on the X account of Turkey’s private NTV television channel shows the aftermath of the explosion at Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters.

 

The blast took place around 4 p.m. local time (1300 GMT), about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the capital, according to private broadcaster NTV, which aired footage of thick smoke rising from the facility’s entrance.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said at least six people were killed, including two assailants, in an attack, in what he described as a “terrorist attack.”

“A terrorist attack was carried out against the Turkish Aerospace Industries... Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people,” Yerlikaya wrote on the social media platform X.

Fourteen others were wounded and taken to a nearby hospital, he added.


Ambulances drive along a road leading to the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) building, after a huge explosion at these headquarters, in Kahramankazan, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Ankara on October 23, 2024. AFP

 

Police and other emergency teams were dispatched to the headquarters.

"Two terrorists, one female and one male, have been neutralized," Yerlikaya said, without providing further details about the assailants' identities.

Authorities are investigating the incident to determine which organization was behind the attack, he added.

Ankara’s chief prosecutor has launched an investigation into the attack, according to state-run Anadolu news agency.

No group has claimed responsibility so far.

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