At least five dead in attack at Turkish aviation company
At least five people have died and 22 others have been injured in an assault on the headquarters of an aviation company near Ankara, Turkey, as confirmed by authorities.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that two assailants, a man and a woman, have been “neutralized.” He indicated that the attack was likely linked to the Kurdish rebel group PKK.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident.
On Wednesday night, Turkey’s defense ministry announced that airstrikes had been conducted against Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq and northern Syria.
Various videos from earlier that day show at least two individuals firing guns at the entrance of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), situated about 40 km (25 miles) from the capital.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz stated that four of the deceased were TAI employees, while the fifth was a taxi driver.
Local media reports indicated that the attackers killed the cab driver and used his vehicle to execute the assault.
The explosion occurred during a shift change, necessitating staff to be directed to shelters.
Yerlikaya also confirmed that among the 22 injured were seven members of special operations forces.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the US, and the UK and has been engaged in conflict with the Turkish government since the 1980s, seeking greater rights for the significant Kurdish minority in the country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is currently in Russia for the BRICS summit, condemned the incident as a “vile terror attack” during a televised meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He later posted a lengthy statement on X, saying that security forces acted quickly to neutralize the threat, and that “no terrorist organization, no evil focus targeting our security will be able to achieve their goals”.
Turkish authorities have imposed a media blackout on details of the attack, and users in large areas of the country have reported not being able to use social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.
The president of Turkey’s Radio and TV Supreme Council, Ebubekir Sahin, warned that all images relating to the incident should be removed from social media, and urged users not to share images which “will serve the purpose of terrorism”.
TAI is a key player in Turkey’s aerospace industry, designing, developing and manufacturing various aircraft for commercial and military use.
It is the company designated by the Nato member to be the licensed manufacturer for the US-designed F-16 fighter jets. TAI also plays a role in modernising older aircraft for use by the Turkish military.
The firm’s two principal owners are the Turkish Armed Forces and a civilian arm of Turkey’s government charged with improving its defence capabilities and managing military procurement.
The blast took place as a major trade fair for defence and aerospace industries was going on in Istanbul this week.
