Ankara, Turkey
One of Turkey’s top defence firms near the capital city Ankara came under attack on Wednesday (Oct 23), when a group of assailants opened fire on civilians, killing five people and injuring 22 others.
The two attackers, a woman and a man, were allegedly “neutralised” immediately, and were seen on camera carrying out the deadly attack at the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), located some 40 kilometres north of Ankara.
Several videos from the attack have been doing rounds on social media, which show attackers carrying bags and firing bullets using what appeared to be assault rifles.
At the time of the attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was holding talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during the 16th BRICS Summit.
Also Read | Turkey retaliates with airstrikes on 32 PKK targets in Iraq, Syria after deadly terror attack on TUSAS
Erdogan condemned the Wednesday incident calling it a "heinous terrorist attack," Al Jazeera reported.
From the videos available all X, it looks like the entire attack was caught on CCTV cameras from the streets and the TUSAS headquarters. One of those videos also showed a huge explosion rocking the building of the state-run company.
Very shocking news coming from Turkiye.
3 terrorists(women)shot around 50 people dead and took 19 hostages.
2 terrorists got eliminated.#Turkey #Ankara #Istanbul #SupremeCourt $ZAAR @ordzaar @OdinSwap pic.twitter.com/n8DUxIuj5q
— Ankit (@AnkitKa30389719) October 23, 2024
An unconfirmed report by private channel NTV said a "group of terrorists" had burst into the building, one of whom "blew himself up". Some news outlets reported exchanges of fire for over an hour.
Clips from the terror attack show that an attacker runs up to the parking lot of the headquarters with a gun, while the other two step out of a yellow car in the middle of the street with assault rifles, shooting at passersby. One person passing by falls to the ground, likely injured in the gunfire.
? Breaking: Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) targeted in a deadly terror attack in Ankara.
Reports confirm six killed and over 20 wounded. Authorities suspect PKK involvement.
One suicide bomber detonated at the facility, which manufactures Turkey’s KAAN fighter jets.… pic.twitter.com/dcb1KzOJKu
— Turki (@ElephantsMusk) October 23, 2024
Terrorists in #Ankara took hostages, another explosion was heard
According to Turkish media, TUSAŞ engineers are among the hostages.
(Just adding afew more images) pic.twitter.com/39UiPwV3No
— Ian Collins (@Ian_Collins_03) October 23, 2024
The identities of the attackers have not been revealed by the Turkish government yet, and no group has claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
The footage from the site of the incident broadcast by local media just after the attack that took place at 3:30 pm (local time) showed huge clouds of smoke and a large fire raging at the site in Kahramankazan.
Also Read | IDF claims six Al Jazeera journalists are operatives of Hamas, PIJ terror groups
Turkey's vice president Cevdet Yilmaz said four of the victims were TUSAS employees while the fifth was a taxi driver.
The Turkish government believe the attack was "probably linked" to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been involved in a decades-long insurgency against the government, according to an Al Jazeera report.
"The way in which this action was carried out is very probably linked to the PKK," said Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
"The identification process and the search for fingerprints are continuing and we will say which terrorist organisation was behind the attack," he said further.
(With inputs from agencies)