Assailants armed with explosives and rifles stormed the headquarters of Turkey’s state-run aerospace company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday in what Turkish authorities called a “terrorist” attack.
Interior Minister Ali Erikaya told reporters that five people were killed and 22 injured in the attack, which was “most likely” carried out by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). said.
Two assailants, a man and a woman, were also killed, he said.
Images and videos shared on social media and broadcast on Turkish news networks showed explosions and gunfire at a vast Turkish aerospace industry complex. A man and a woman were seen charging into the building with backpacks and assault rifles. Special forces were sent in and police sealed off the area before the government limited local news coverage to official announcements.
Selim Tirpanoglu, the mayor of the district where the attack occurred, told Turkish news outlets that the hostages were taken in the compound’s cafeteria. As of late Wednesday, it was not clear how or if the issue had been resolved.
Defense Minister Yasar Güler also suggested to reporters near the scene that the PKK was behind the attack.
“We are inflicting the necessary punishment on these despicable PKK members, but they are none the wiser,” Güler said.
Turkey then launched airstrikes against PKK targets in northern Iraq and Syria, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Turkish Defense Ministry. Turkish news agencies reported that about 32 targets were destroyed.
The PKK has sought autonomy for the Kurds through a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that has left tens of thousands of people dead. Türkiye and its Western allies consider the PKK a terrorist organization.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, but Turkey has faced similar attacks in recent years by Kurdish separatists, radical leftists and Islamic State jihadists.
Footage from the scene shown on Turkish television networks before the broadcast restrictions began showed gray smoke from what appeared to be an explosion and a man believed to be the assailant running toward them, carrying an assault rifle. CCTV footage from inside the building showed two attackers near the building’s entrance and a body lying on the sidewalk outside.
NetBlocks, an organization that tracks internet outages, said major social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok are restricted in Turkey.
Turkish Aerospace Industries, established to reduce Turkey’s dependence on foreign defense companies, is a major employer that produces parts for airplanes, helicopters, drones and other technology.
The attack comes after one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s closest political allies said in a televised speech in parliament that jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan will be released if he announces an end to the rebellion. This happened the day after I said it was a possibility.
Mr. Öcalan is serving a life sentence in an island prison near Istanbul. Surprising offer of release hints at new movement in long-dormant peace talks between Turkey and the PKK
Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party, the People’s Democratic Party for Equality, condemned the attack and suggested it may have been launched by people seeking to prevent dialogue.
“It is noteworthy that such an attack occurred at a time when Turkish society is discussing solutions and the possibility of dialogue has emerged,” the party said in a statement on social media.