Turkey’s interior minister has blamed a “terrorist attack” for an explosion and assault at the headquarters of the national aerospace company, Tusaş, outside Ankara that has killed five people and wounded 22 others.
The large blast happened outside the building at 4pm on Wednesday, and there were reports that gunfire was also heard in the vicinity.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said: “I condemn this heinous terrorist attack and wish mercy on our martyrs.”
The interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, said: “Sadly, we have five martyrs and 22 wounded in the attack. Three of the injured were already discharged from hospital, 19 of them under treatment.”
He said two attackers – a woman and a man – had been “neutralised” and work was under way to determine their identities. Yerlikaya did not say whether there were any other attackers still at large, amid conflicting reports of whether the situation was ongoing.
Media outlets that had been showing live footage from the scene were forced to halt their broadcasts after Turkey’s media watchdog ordered a blackout of images from the site. Habertürk TV had said earlier there was an ongoing “hostage situation”, without giving further details. The exact circumstances of the explosion and subsequent gunfire remained unclear, with some media reports suggesting it was a suicide attack.
It was not clear who was behind the attack. Kurdish militants, Islamic State and leftist extremists have carried out attacks in the country in the past. The defence minister, Yaşar Güler, pointed the finger at the militant Kurdistan Workers’ party, or PKK, without giving evidence.
“We give these PKK scoundrels the punishment they deserve every time. But they never come to their senses,” Güler said. “We will pursue them until the last terrorist is eliminated.”
Late on Wednesday, Turkish warplanes launched airstrikes on PKK positions across northern Iraq and Syria.
The attack in Ankara occurred a day after the leader of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement party, which is allied with Erdoğan, raised the possibility that the PKK’s imprisoned leader could be granted parole if he renounced violence and disbanded his organisation.
Erdoğan was in the Russian city of Kazan for a Brics summit of major emerging market nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, where he held talks with Vladimir Putin.
According to initial reports, the attack was launched by several gunmen who arrived at the site by taxi. Local television footage appeared to show individuals wearing black and carrying rucksacks in the streets near the building firing at bystanders. TV images also showed a damaged gate and a clash in a car park.
The TV channel NTV said a group of assailants arrived at an entrance to the complex in a taxi during a changing of the security personnel. At least one of the assailants detonated a bomb, while other attackers managed to enter the complex, it said. Tusaş is one of Turkey’s most important defence and aviation companies. It produces Kaan, the country’s first national combat aircraft, among other projects.
According to the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, staff in the building were directed to shelters for security reasons. The blast occurred as an important trade fair for the defence and aerospace industries was taking place in Istanbul, which was visited this week by Ukraine’s top diplomat.
Turkey’s defence sector, which is known for making Bayraktar drones, which accounted for almost a third of the country’s defence industry exports in 2023. Ankara exported an estimated $5.5bn in aerospace and defence technology last year.
The attack drew condemnation from the transport minister, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, and the opposition leader, Özgür Özel, who heads the Republican People’s party (CHP). “I condemn the terrorist attack against TAI facilities in Kahramankazan … I condemn terrorism, no matter who or where it comes from,” Özel wrote on X.
The Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, said the military alliance would stand with Turkey. He posted on X: “Deeply concerning reports of dead and wounded in Ankara. #NATO stands with our Ally #Turkey. We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and are monitoring developments closely.”
Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, said he was “appalled by the terrorist attack in Ankara. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Turkey as a Nato ally and close friend. Our thoughts are with the families of victims and all those affected.”
In January two gunmen opened fire inside a Catholic church in Istanbul, killing a man, with Islamic State claiming responsibility.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
