Details of explosion in Ankara
Emil Forsberg,
Linnea Blomberg
Updated 18.08 | Published 15.01
An aircraft manufacturing factory in Ankara has been subjected to a terrorist attack.
Four people have been killed and several have been taken hostage.
Two terrorists have been killed, according to the interior minister.
Several terrorists are said to have arrived by taxi to the state-owned factory that manufactures drones and fighter jets.
A suicide bomber reportedly blew himself up at the entrance, according to Turkish media.
Videos from the scene show two armed men and a woman opening fire on people trying to run away.
Fighting was going on at the compound while large numbers of soldiers arrived in helicopters.
Several people are also said to have been taken hostage by the terrorists.
At 18.30 the newspaper Haber stated that all the terrorists had been killed and that the military had regained control of the building.
- When we find out their identity, we know which organization they belong to, says Minister of the Interior Ali Yerlikaya.
According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, four people have been killed and at least 14 injured.
- I condemn this heinous terrorist attack and pray for our martyrs, he says.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte condemns the attack:
- We support our NATO ally Turkey and follow developments closely, he says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also sent his condolences to Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Tass.
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Several dead in suspected terrorist attack in Ankara
At least four people have been killed in a suspected terrorist attack in Turkey.
The target of the attack was a large defense industrial complex outside the capital Ankara.
A major explosion followed by gunfire was heard at a state-owned company in the aviation and defense industry, Turkish media reports.
According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at least four people have been killed and fourteen injured. In addition, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, two of the attackers have been killed, a man and a woman.
"Unfortunately, Tusas, the core of our local and national defense industry in Ankara, was hit by a terrorist attack," Yerlikaya writes in a statement and continues:
"The identification of (the terrorists) is ongoing. As soon as it is clear who they were, we will announce which terrorist organization is behind it."
Both the terrorist group IS and the Kurdish PKK have carried out attacks in Turkey in the past year. No one has yet claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack.
Prohibition to publish
Several Turkish media outlets state that the "terrorists" took a taxi to the scene during a changing of the guard. One of them allegedly detonated a bomb while the others entered and started shooting.
CNN Turk and other TV channels have published images from surveillance cameras showing columns of smoke as well as men with automatic rifles. But the state media council RTÜK came out late in the afternoon with a ban on publishing images and audio from the scene.
Rutte condemns
State-run TAI, also known as Tusas, is a technical center linked to the defense industry and, among other things, is responsible for the development and production of aircraft and air platforms in Turkey. It also includes drones and parts for F-16 fighter jets.
Most of the employees at TAI have reportedly been taken to a safe area.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte writes on X that they "condemn terrorism in all its forms and follow developments closely".
"I have spoken to Erdogan about the terrorist attack in Ankara. My message was clear: NATO stands by Turkey," he writes.
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