Family members and relatives gather in the vicinity of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) building, after a huge explosion at these headquarters, in Kahramankazan, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Ankara on October 23, 2024. —AFP photo

Armed assailants launched a deadly “terror” attack on Turkey’s state-run aerospace company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday, government officials said.

At least five people were killed and 22 injured in the “terrorist attack” on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters in the outskirts of Ankara, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Two attackers - a man and a woman - were killed, he added.

Among the dead are four TUSAS employees and the taxi driver who drove the assailants to the facility, according to Turkish Vice President Cevdet Y?lma.

A social media video verified and geolocated by CNN showed the moment an explosion rocked the TUSAS headquarters. After the blast, a person holding a firearm is seen running in what appears to be a parking lot.

In a separate video verified by CNN, CCTV footage shows the attackers wearing backpacks and carrying guns, approaching the entrance of the aerospace company’s headquarters.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. But when asked by journalists for a response, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler suggested the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) could be behind it. The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States.

Without elaborating on the attackers’ identities, Guler told reporters “we [Turkey] punish the dishonorable PKK members as they deserve over and over again, but they never seem to learn.”

The interior minister later said that while the process to identify the attackers is ongoing, an initial assessment suggests the PKK was behind the attack.

“As soon as it is confirmed, which terror group it is, it will be announced. But I will say this, we also heard the defense minister’s comments. From the start, the way the attack was carried out, the video we saw, points to the PKK having carried out the attack. That is our assessment,” Yerlikaya told journalists in Ankara outside the hospital where some of the injured were being treated.

The attack occurred a day after the leader of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party brought up Kurdish relations in Parliament, where he suggested offering to release the PKK’s jailed leader if he disbanded the organization, Reuters reported.

Later on Wednesday, several Kurdish areas in Syria and Iraq were struck by Turkey.

A ‘vile attack’

Following the attack, the aerospace company’s general manager, Mehmet Demiroglu, left a high-profile defense fair early to return to Ankara, state news agency Anadolu reported.

TUSAS was incorporated into Turkey’s Ministry of Industry and Technology in 1973 in order to reduce the “foreign dependence” of the country’s defense industry, according to its website.

“This is one of the biggest, largest defense companies in the country. It’s producing armed drones and fighter jets,” Ragip Soylu, Turkey bureau chief for the news outlet Middle East Eye, told CNN.

The attack occurred while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual BRICS summit. He condemned the “hateful attack” alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Erdogan thanked for his condolences.

Erdogan referred to the incident in a post on X as a “vile attack” that targeted the country’s survival and defense initiatives. “I extend my best wishes to our nation and the devoted employees of TUSAS, the source of pride for our defense industry,” the Turkish president wrote.

Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, said he has spoken with Erdogan about the “deeply concerning” attack. “NATO stands with Turkey,” he said.

Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas said he was “saddened” by the hit on TUSAS, a major defense company. Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said an investigation has been launched into the attack.

Wednesday’s attack is “going to raise a lot of questions” in a country that has not experienced this kind of violence for several years, Turkey expert Asl? Ayd?nta?ba? told CNN.

Ayd?nta?ba?, an associate senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, noted that the attack was the first of its kind for “a number of years” and took place as the Turkish government began “exploring the idea of a peace process” with the PKK.

“An attack on a major Turkish defense contractor, a public company, but also the crown jewel of Turkey’s defense industry, is going to be a huge trauma,” she said. “It’s also going to raise a lot of questions and suspicions in Turkey about what the motivations are, who could be behind it.”

“There will be a lot of theories and a lot of confusion until we know who actually planned this and carried it out,” Ayd?nta?ba? added.

Turkey hits Kurdish areas in Iraq and Syria

Following the attack near Ankara, the Turkish defense ministry said it struck PKK targets in northern Iraq and Syria, Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

“Turkish forces destroyed 32 terrorist targets in an air operation conducted in northern Iraq and Syria, and a significant number of terrorists were “neutralized,” the agency wrote.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF], which operates in northeastern Syria, said the Turkish military shelled Kobani city and the city of Tal Rifa’at, north of Aleppo. Farhad Shami, head of SDF media, said in a statement late Wednesday that the attacks killed two civilians and injured six others.

“Turkey indiscriminately and unjustifiably bombards our areas, targeting civilian, service, and health centers. This is a war crime,” SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdî said on X.

The US distinguishes between the SDF and the PKK. But Turkey considers the SDF and its People’s Protection Units [YPG] - the US-backed Kurdish militia that fought against ISIS - as part of PKK.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, Kamiran Hassan, the mayor of Mawat district in the Sulaymaniyah province of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, told CNN that Mount Asos was targeted twice by Turkish airstrikes.

Turkish President Erdogan has said his ultimate goal is to eliminate the PKK, which has fought the Turkish state for more than three decades. Turkey has also long been unhappy about the strong Kurdish presence in northeast Syria near the Turkish border. In 2019, Turkey began a planned military offensive into northeastern Syria aimed at pushing Kurdish forces away from Turkey’s border.

Broadcast ban in attack aftermath

Earlier, Turkey’s Directorate of Communications Center for Countering Disinformation warned people to rely only on official statements and not to “believe unfounded allegations.

Turkish authorities announced a broadcast ban in the attack’s aftermath, saying it was an effort to avoid promoting any kind of “terrorist propaganda.” Broadcasters and social media companies were asked to crack down on the spread of “unconfirmed information and images,” with the risk of “severe sanctions” if they fail to comply, the head of Turkey’s state-run Radio and Television Supreme Council, Ebubekir ?ahin said on X.

Following the announcement, internet monitoring firm Netblocks said that live metrics showed social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, had been restricted in Turkey.

Russian President Putin expressed his condolences. “You know how we feel about this. We condemn any manifestations of this kind, no matter what their motivations are,” Putin told Erdogan in his opening remarks, just hours after the attack.

The US State Department is “tracking reports” of the attack, a spokesperson told CNN. The US embassy in Turkey “strongly” condemned the attack on X, saying “we stand with our ally Turkey.”

Source: CNN