Five dead in terrorist attack at Turkey aviation site

A deadly terrorist attack carried out at the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ headquarters near Ankara on Wednesday has left no fewer that five people dead and 22 others wounded.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said two attackers were killed in the attack, adding three of the injured are in critical condition. TV broadcasters showed footage of armed assailants entering the TUSAS building.

“Two terrorists were neutralized in the terrorist attack against TUSAŞ Kahramankazan facilities. Unfortunately, we have five martyrs and 22 wounded, three of the injured were in critical condition, in the attack.” Yerlikaya wrote in his post on X.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, alongside Russia's Vladimir Putin at a BRICS conference in the Russian city of Kazan, condemned the attack and accepted Putin's condolences. NATO, the United States and the European Union also condemned the attack.

The cause of the blast and perpetrators of the attack remained unclear. No group had claimed responsibility. Prosecutors have launched an investigation, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

TV images showed footage of several armed assailants entering the building amid reports of gunfire and a loud explosion.

The cause and perpetrators of the blast and subsequent gunfire remained unclear. Some media reports claimed a suicide attack had occurred and that there were hostages inside the building. Officials have not confirmed this.

Witnesses told Reuters that employees inside the building were taken by authorities to shelters and no one was permitted to leave. They said bombings may have taken place at different exits as employees were leaving work for the day.

The state-owned Anadolu Agency said emergency services were dispatched to the site, while television images showed a damaged gate and an exchange of gunfire in a parking lot. The images showed the attackers carrying assault rifles and backpacks as they entered the building.

Anadolu also said prosecutors had launched an investigation into the attack.

TUSAS is one of Turkey’s most important defence and aviation companies. It produces KAAN, the country’s first national combat aircraft, among other projects, and has over 10,000 employees.