ANKARA, TURKEY – OCTOBER 23: Security forces, firefighters and paramedics are dispatched to Turkish Aerospace after reported explosions and shootings in the Kahraman Kazan district of Ankara, Turkey on October 23, 2024. Industrial Inc. (TAI) facilities.
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A deadly attack took place on Wednesday at the Turkish Aerospace Industries headquarters near Ankara, the government said, with broadcasters showing footage of several armed attackers entering the building and reports of gunfire and loud explosions.
“There was a terrorist attack on the TUSAS facility in Kahramankazan, Ankara. Unfortunately, we have martyrs and injured people,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on social media X about the aerospace industry company said.
The cause and perpetrator of the explosion and subsequent shooting remain unclear. Some media reported a suicide attack and that there were hostages inside the building. This has not been officially confirmed.
Witnesses told Reuters that employees in the building were taken to shelters by authorities and no one was allowed to leave. They said the explosion may have occurred at a different exit as employees left for the day.
The state-run Anadolu news agency said emergency services were dispatched to the scene and television images showed damage to the gate and exchange of fire in the parking lot. Images showed the attacker entering the building carrying an assault rifle and a backpack.
Anadolu also said prosecutors had launched an investigation into the attack.
TUSAS is one of Türkiye’s most important defense and aviation companies. The company produces the country’s first national fighter jet “KAAN” and other projects, and has more than 10,000 employees.
